Trump Administration Withdraws Appeal to Dismantle Institute of Museum and Library Services

The Trump administration has withdrawn its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked its attempt to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This decision follows a May 2023 order from Rhode Island district court judge John J. McConnell Jr., which halted an executive order issued last spring that sought to reduce IMLS to minimal functions. To enforce that order, the administration placed 85% of IMLS staff on paid leave, dissolved its board, and curtailed grant administration. In April 2023, Attorneys General from 21 states filed a lawsuit challenging these actions, leading to a November ruling that permanently barred further steps to eliminate the agency. American Library Association president Sam Helmick stated that while dropping the appeal protects library services across 115,000 U.S. libraries, the library community must still oppose Trump's current effort to defund IMLS in the fiscal 2027 budget. The ALA's separate lawsuit remains pending, having previously secured a temporary restraining order in May 2023 that prevented mass layoffs of IMLS employees.