The National Endowment for the Humanities building on April 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kayla Bartkowski | Getty Images)A federal judge has ruled that the government’s abrupt elimination of humanities grants previously approved by Congress was “unlawful” and that a lawsuit brought by humanities groups can move forward. In April, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), terminated grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to thousands of groups across the country including humanities councils, museums, historic sites, archives, libraries, educators and media outlets. The news comes just days after many humanities councils across the country were told their grants would be terminated. It said that the grants should be reinstated until after the case has been tried. The National Endowment for the Humanities has not yet responded to NPR’s request for comment.