Chief U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor denied the request of the plaintiffs in Simon v. Ivey for a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the anti-DEI law SB129 on Wednesday.
He also approved Governor Kay Ivey’s motion to dismiss, removing her from the lawsuit in her capacity as governor, and concluded that two of the student plaintiffs did not have sufficient standing to sue the University of Alabama Board of Trustees.
Passed by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Ivey in 2024, SB129 restricts the discussion of “divisive concepts” in the state’s public universities. It also effectively bans diversity, equity and inclusion programs by barring state agencies and public institutions of higher learning from sponsoring them…