Judge voids DOGE's humanities grant cuts made with ChatGPT's help

In April 2025, DOGE staff ended about 1,400 National Endowment for the Humanities grants worth over $100 million. Court records later showed they asked ChatGPT whether each grant related to DEI, in under 120 characters, without defining DEI. Flagged grants included a museum's air-conditioning replacement and a newspaper digitization project. The staffers reviewed no applications, and the agency's acting chair did not know ChatGPT was used. On May 7, 2026, U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon ruled the terminations unlawful and unconstitutional. The ruling found violations of the First Amendment and equal protection and said DOGE lacked authority. It barred the government from enforcing the cuts.