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Timeline

Every entry in the archive, ordered by event date. Page 34 of 41, showing March 26, 2025 to April 24, 2025. Pages contain 50 entries each; entries for a given date may continue on the next or previous page.

2025 Events (561)

April(47)

Tennessee Gov. Lee signed the Medical Ethics Defense Act, letting providers refuse care on conscience grounds

On April 24, 2025, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the "Medical Ethics Defense Act" (SB0955/HB1044) into law as Public Chapter 266, giving health care providers, institutions, and payers a right of conscience to refuse to participate in or pay for any procedure, treatment, or service that violates their religious, moral, or ethical beliefs. The law took immediate effect and was enacted primarily to shield providers who object to abortion, contraception, and gender-affirming care. Opponents warned it keys refusal to conscience rather than a specific procedure, opening the door to care denials aimed at LGBTQ and transgender patients.

Trump signed EO 14281 directing all agencies to end disparate-impact enforcement, orders AG to repeal Title VI regulations

On April 23, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14281, "Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy," directing all federal agencies to deprioritize enforcement of disparate-impact liability across housing, lending, employment, education, and healthcare "to the maximum degree possible." The order instructed the Attorney General to repeal or amend all Department of Justice regulations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act that contemplate disparate-impact liability. Civil rights organizations described EO 14281 as the most sweeping rollback of federal civil rights enforcement since passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Trump pardoned tax felon Paul Walczak weeks after his mother paid $1M for Mar-a-Lago access

President Trump granted Paul Walczak a full and unconditional pardon on April 23, 2025, for failing to remit roughly $7.5 million in employee payroll taxes and failing to file individual income tax returns, a total tax loss to the IRS of about $10.9 million. The pardon came 12 days after Walczak was sentenced to 18 months in prison and $4.4 million in restitution, and roughly three weeks after his mother, Trump fundraiser Elizabeth Fago, paid $1 million to attend a Mar-a-Lago candlelight dinner where Trump was the featured guest.

North Dakota Gov. Armstrong signed HB1181 defining gender in state law as biological sex

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong signed House Bill 1181 into law on April 23, 2025, amending the North Dakota Century Code to define "gender" as a person's biological sex throughout state statute. The law governs how state-funded institutions, including public schools and state agencies, record and treat sex and gender on official forms and documents. The bill passed the North Dakota House 74-13, the Senate as amended 41-6, and cleared final House concurrence 79-11 before reaching the governor's desk.

Arkansas enacted Act 979 creating a special malpractice cause of action against providers of gender-affirming care to minors

On April 22, 2025, Arkansas enacted Act 979 (HB1916), signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, amending the state's 2023 Protecting Minors From Medical Malpractice Act to include gender-affirming interventions as a right of action for medical malpractice. The law lets minors or their representatives sue health care professionals over puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and related care, singling out that treatment for a bespoke civil cause of action. Sponsored by Rep. Mary Bentley and Sen. Alan Clark, it passed 73-16 in the House and 29-6 in the Senate.

AG Bondi issued memo directing FBI and DOJ to investigate and prosecute gender-affirming care providers for minors

On April 22, 2025, Attorney General Pamela Bondi issued a memorandum titled "Preventing the Mutilation of American Children" directing the FBI to investigate gender-affirming care providers for criminal violations and directing DOJ's Consumer Protection Branch and Civil Division Fraud Section to pursue misbranding and False Claims Act cases against manufacturers and medical providers. The memo simultaneously announced the "Attorney General's Coalition Against Child Mutilation," a formal partnership with state attorneys general to coordinate criminal and civil enforcement against hospitals and practitioners. Gender-affirming care for minors was legal under federal law at the time the memo was issued.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Act 955, restricting restrooms and sleeping quarters to biological sex with a private right to sue

On April 21, 2025, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed SB486, enacted as Act 955 of 2025, requiring multi-occupancy restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters in covered entities — including correctional facilities, domestic-violence shelters, and other public accommodations — to be designated for and restricted to a single biological sex. The law creates a private civil cause of action allowing individuals to sue covered entities for damages if they encounter a person of the opposite biological sex in such a facility, effectively barring transgender people from facilities matching their gender identity. Covered entities must take reasonable steps, such as signage and policy, to enforce the sex-based designation.

Arkansas Gov. Sanders signed Act 970, letting providers and insurers refuse gender-transition and other care on conscience grounds

On April 21, 2025, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed SB444, enacted as Act 970 of 2025, amending the state's 2021 Medical Ethics and Diversity Act to broaden conscience-based refusal rights in health care. The amendment newly extends the right to decline to participate in health care services to insurers alongside practitioners and institutions, and protects refusing to take part in gender-transition procedures, abortion, assisted suicide, or any service that violates a conscience. It also lets religious health care institutions make staffing and privileging decisions consistent with their religious beliefs.

EPA sent reduction-in-force notices eliminating 280 environmental justice and civil rights staff, shutting down the OEJECR

On April 21, 2025, EPA Assistant Deputy Administrator Travis Voyles sent reduction-in-force notices to 280 employees in the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) and regional environmental justice divisions, with terminations effective July 31, 2025. An additional 175 employees performing statutory functions were reassigned within the agency. The action effectively closed the OEJECR — founded in 1992 under President George H.W. Bush and the primary federal enforcer of Title VI civil rights protections in environmental permitting — framed by EPA as terminating "Biden's environmental justice, DEI arms of the agency."

Hegseth shared Yemen strike details in a second Signal chat that included his wife, brother, and personal lawyer

The New York Times reported on April 20-21, 2025 that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details of the March 15 Yemen strikes, including warplane launch times, in a second, separate Signal group chat called "Defense | Team Huddle." The 13-member chat included Hegseth's wife Jennifer Hegseth, his brother Phil Hegseth (a Pentagon DHS liaison), and Hegseth's personal lawyer — none of whom held a national-security role.

FDA halted FERN's Proficiency Testing Program, cutting pathogen-screening quality checks for 170 labs, citing staff cuts

On April 17, 2025, the FDA suspended the Proficiency Testing Program under the Food Emergency Response Network, which provided quality-control testing used by roughly 170 laboratories nationwide to screen for pathogens and contaminants, including Cyclospora in spinach and glyphosate residue in barley. The agency attributed the suspension to staffing shortages following earlier rounds of cuts.

Mississippi Gov. Reeves signed HB 1193 banning DEI programs and barring instruction on transgender identity and gender theory in public schools

On April 17, 2025, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1193, banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and offices in the state's K-12 public schools and public universities. The law separately bars teaching or promoting concepts described as "transgender ideology, gender-neutral pronouns, heteronormativity, gender theory, sexual privilege or any related formulation," and requires institutions to affirm a two-sex, chromosome-based definition of gender. A federal judge later found the law unconstitutionally vague and issued a preliminary injunction blocking its enforcement statewide.

Arkansas Gov. Sanders signed Act 711, barring the 'X' marker and requiring only 'M' or 'F' sex designations on state IDs

On April 16, 2025, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed House Bill 1796, enacted as Act 711 of 2025, requiring that driver's licenses and state identification cards display gender information as only "M" for male or "F" for female. The law prohibits issuing an ID with an "X" designation or no gender information and ties the marker to the applicant's birth certificate or other identity document, requiring an amended birth certificate to change it. The statute codifies a state rule that had removed the nonbinary option and the pathway transgender and nonbinary Arkansans used to correct their sex designation.

Arkansas enacted Act 677 shielding government workers and licensed professionals who refuse duties over religious beliefs about marriage or sex

On April 16, 2025, Arkansas enacted Act 677 (HB1615), the "religious nondiscrimination" law, signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The statute bars the state from denying licenses, certifications, contracts, or employment consequences to individuals and organizations that decline to provide services conflicting with a "sincerely held religious belief, including a belief about biological sex or marriage," and expressly permits government employees authorized to license or solemnize marriages to recuse themselves on that basis. Civil-rights advocates say it authorizes identity-based refusals of public services and licensed professional care to LGBTQ+ Arkansans.

Interagency task force froze $2.2 billion in Harvard grants after university publicly refused White House demands

On April 14, 2025, the interagency Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced the freeze of approximately $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in multi-year contracts to Harvard University — announced the same day Harvard President Alan Garber publicly refused to comply with a package of White House demands delivered April 11. The demands called for governance reforms, merit-based admissions and hiring, closure of DEI programs, a mask ban targeting pro-Palestinian protesters, and cooperation with immigration authorities. A federal court later ruled that the Harvard funding campaign constituted unlawful retaliation for First Amendment-protected activity.

Kansas Legislature passed a budget proviso barring state and university employees from listing pronouns and tying $4 million to ending DEI programs

On April 11, 2025, the Kansas Legislature gave final approval to Substitute for HB2007, the FY2026 omnibus budget, which included a proviso barring state agencies and state universities from permitting employees to include gender-identifying pronouns or "gender ideology" in email signature blocks or other communications and conditioning roughly $4 million in funding on ending diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, training, and positions. Gov. Laura Kelly subsequently signed the budget into law without line-item vetoing the proviso. Kansas Board of Regents institutions directed employees to remove pronouns from their communications by a July 31, 2025 compliance date.

Arkansas Gov. Sanders signed the Keep Kids First Act, letting faith-based foster and adoption agencies refuse LGBTQ prospective parents

On April 10, 2025, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed House Bill 1669, the "Keep Kids First Act" (Act 509 of 2025), barring the state from requiring faith-based adoption and foster-care providers to make placements that conflict with their sincerely held religious or moral beliefs. The law also prohibits the state from penalizing a provider for considering prospective parents based on the provider's religious beliefs about sexual orientation or gender identity. In effect, it lets state-contracted agencies decline to place children with same-sex couples and LGBTQ prospective foster and adoptive parents.

ICE terminated student status records of two lawfully enrolled international graduate students at Montana State University

In April 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement terminated the SEVIS student status records of two international graduate students lawfully enrolled at Montana State University, effectively revoking their authorization to remain in the United States without legal basis. The ACLU of Montana filed suit against then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and ICE, challenging the terminations as unlawful. A federal judge issued an emergency order in April 2025 blocking the government from deporting the students; the U.S. government subsequently reinstated their records and changed its policy. The government settled the lawsuit in July 2026, formally committing to protect the students' immigration status.

Kansas Legislature overrode Gov. Kelly's veto to enact HB2311, letting foster caregivers' religious beliefs override placement policy

On April 10, 2025, the Kansas Legislature overrode Governor Laura Kelly's veto to enact HB2311, barring the state's foster-care agency from adopting or enforcing placement policies that conflict with a prospective caregiver's sincerely held religious or moral beliefs about sexual orientation or gender identity. The law creates a private right of action allowing caregivers to sue the Department for Children and Families for damages and attorney fees. The House overrode 87-38 and the Senate 31-9 the same day, with enforcement provisions effective July 1, 2025.

Kentucky enacted HB501, barring Medicaid from covering cross-sex hormones for gender-dysphoria treatment

On April 10, 2025, Kentucky House Bill 501 became law without Gov. Andy Beshear's signature after passing the House 97-0 and the Senate 38-0. The act codified that Kentucky Medicaid may not fund cross-sex hormones when they are prescribed primarily or solely to treat gender dysphoria, singling out transgender-related use for exclusion while allowing the same drugs for other conditions. It refined a companion measure, HB495, that had restricted Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care.

Trump signs EO 14263 targeting Susman Godfrey, suspending clearances and barring building access

On April 9, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14263, directing the suspension of security clearances for Susman Godfrey LLP employees, termination of all federal contracts with the firm, and restriction of firm employees from accessing federal buildings. The order cited the firm's diversity fellowship and its representation of clients in election-related and civil rights cases as justification, framing Susman's legal work as a national-security threat. Susman Godfrey, which had represented Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation lawsuit against Fox News over 2020 election coverage, filed suit to block the order within two days.

Trump bought 327 stocks, including Apple and Nvidia, on April 8, 2025, one day before announcing a tariff pause that sent markets soaring

President Trump's 2025 annual financial disclosure, released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and analyzed by CNBC and NBC News, shows that investment accounts he owns made 327 previously undisclosed stock purchases on April 8, 2025 — worth as much as $12.8 million, including $100,001–$250,000 blocks in each of Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The purchases came six days after Trump launched his "Liberation Day" tariffs, which had sent markets tumbling, and one day before he posted "THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!" and announced a 90-day tariff pause that sent the S&P 500 up roughly 9.5% in one of its best sessions on record. The trades were disclosed more than fourteen months after they occurred, past the deadlines the STOCK Act sets for reporting covered transactions.

Deputy AG Todd Blanche shut down DOJ crypto enforcement while holding up to $485,000 in personal crypto investments

On April 7, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a DOJ memo, "Ending Regulation by Prosecution," scaling back Biden-era cryptocurrency enforcement and disbanding the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team. A ProPublica investigation found Blanche personally held between $159,000 and $485,000 in crypto-related assets at the time, despite pledging in February 2025 to divest "as soon as practicable"; he did not begin selling or transferring the holdings until nearly two months after the memo, in late May and early June 2025.

Trump signed EO 14258, second order directing DOJ not to enforce TikTok divestment law

President Trump signed Executive Order 14258, "Extending the TikTok Enforcement Delay," on April 4, 2025, directing the Department of Justice not to enforce the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act and extending the non-enforcement period to June 19, 2025. The order also retroactively immunized all past non-compliance dating back to January 19, 2025 — the statutory deadline — barring DOJ from ever taking enforcement action for violations during that period. It was the second consecutive executive order directing non-enforcement of the TikTok divestment statute, following EO 14166 issued on January 20, 2025.

Idaho enacted SB 1198 banning DEI programs, offices, and diversity training at public colleges and universities

On April 4, 2025, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed Senate Bill 1198 into law, banning diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, programs, mandatory diversity training, and diversity statements at all public colleges and universities in the state. The law, which took effect July 1, 2025, created a private right of action allowing students and faculty to sue institutions over alleged violations and expanded the Idaho Attorney General's authority to enforce it. Advocates said the measure eliminated programming that served LGBTQ+ and other marginalized students.

Idaho Gov. Little signed HB 480 barring behavioral-health funds for DEI and transgender programming

On April 4, 2025, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 480, the fiscal-year 2025-2026 appropriation for the Department of Health and Welfare's Division of Behavioral Health. Section 5 of the law bars the division from using appropriated funds for training or programming that advances "diversity, equity, and inclusion; critical race theory; or transgender ideology," or that distributes or restricts funding based on race or gender. The restriction took effect July 1, 2025.

United States redirected foreign aid to fund Costa Rica's interception of US-bound migrants

The U.S. and Costa Rica signed a Memorandum of Understanding on April 3, 2025 under which DHS funds and runs logistics for Costa Rica's own deportations of irregular migrants, primarily those transiting toward the United States. The State Department is redirecting up to $7.85 million from its Economic Support Fund — a foreign-aid line normally used for allied economic development — to DHS to pay for the program, modeled in part on a 2024 Biden-era deal under which the U.S. paid Panama to detain and deport migrants moving toward the U.S. border.

FDA suspended a program improving bird-flu testing reliability across 40+ labs, citing its own staff cuts

On April 3, 2025, the FDA suspended its Interlaboratory Comparison Exercise for detecting Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, a program improving testing reliability across more than 40 laboratories screening dairy products and pet food for H5N1. The agency's own suspension notice to participating labs attributed the halt to staff cuts in FDA's Human Food Program made earlier that year.

Idaho Gov. Little signed HB 96, barring most non-approved flags — including LGBTQ+ pride flags — from government property

On April 3, 2025, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 96, which limits the flags that state and local government entities may display to an enumerated list — the U.S. flag, official state and municipal flags, U.S. military branch flags, Native American tribal flags, the POW/MIA flag, school flags, and foreign flags for special occasions — effectively barring LGBTQ+ pride flags from government property. The bill carried an emergency clause and took effect immediately on signing. Sponsors said the measure was meant to keep government entities from flying "flags of political causes," and legislators circulated fliers showing the pride flag at Boise City Hall before the votes.

Indiana enacted HB 1041 extending its transgender-athlete ban to women's college sports

On April 3, 2025, the Indiana General Assembly gave final passage to House Bill 1041 by a 42-6 Senate vote, extending the state's 2022 ban on transgender athletes in K-12 sports to public colleges and universities. Governor Mike Braun signed the measure in April 2025 and it took effect July 1, 2025, barring athletes assigned male at birth from women's college teams, requiring institutions to adopt grievance procedures, and creating a private right of action allowing students to sue over suspected violations.

Tennessee Gov. Lee signed HB0064 requiring residential educational programs to segregate restrooms and showers by biological sex

On April 3, 2025, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed House Bill 0064 (Public Chapter 134), requiring residential educational programs that house minors overnight — including private residential schools, postsecondary institutions, and any program with overnight facilities for elementary or secondary students — to designate multi-occupancy restrooms, changing areas, and showers by immutable biological sex. Sponsored by Rep. Gino Bulso, the measure passed the House 74-18 and the Senate 25-4 and took effect immediately. It bars transgender students from facilities matching their gender identity.

DOGE used one-line ChatGPT prompts to terminate 97% of NEH's appropriated humanities grants, gutting agency in 22 days

Discovery material released in a federal lawsuit shows that between a March 12, 2025 meeting with National Endowment for the Humanities leadership and an April 1, 2025 completion, DOGE staff used brief ChatGPT prompts asking whether grants "relate at all to DEI" to screen and terminate more than 1,000 NEH grants — 97% of the agency's then- appropriated funding, about $100 million — while also eliminating 65% of NEH's staff. NEH's acting chair, Michael McDonald, yielded grant-termination authority to DOGE staff, who had no experience in humanities research or grant review.

Idaho Gov. Little signed HB 264, restricting prison, shelter, and public-college facilities to one biological sex to bar transgender people

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 264 on April 1, 2025, requiring correctional facilities, juvenile correctional centers, domestic-violence shelters, and state public colleges and universities to designate multi-occupancy restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters for the exclusive use of one biological sex, defined by statute rather than gender identity. The law creates a private civil cause of action — declaratory and injunctive relief plus attorney fees — for anyone who encounters a person of the opposite biological sex in a designated facility, and its framework functionally requires housing transgender inmates by birth sex. It took effect as Session Law Chapter 251 on July 1, 2025.

March(69)

Idaho Gov. Little signed HB 352 banning K-12 classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity

On March 31, 2025, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 352 into law, adding a provision that prohibits public-school classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity from kindergarten through grade 12. Enacted as Session Law Chapter 223, the measure also expanded parental-rights provisions including records access, opt-outs, notification requirements, and a private cause of action. Its instructional restriction took effect July 1, 2025.

Idaho Gov. Little signed HB 239, requiring parental opt-in permission before schools may teach any content on sexual orientation or gender identity

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 239 on March 31, 2025, barring public schools from providing any instruction on "human sexuality" unless a parent or legal guardian submits advance signed written permission. The law defines "human sexuality" to include sexual orientation, gender identity, gender ideology, and gender conversion, and creates a private right of action allowing parents to sue districts for $250 in statutory damages plus actual damages per violation. It took effect as Session Law Chapter 234 on July 1, 2025.

Ohio Gov. DeWine signed transportation-budget rider requiring BMV proof of citizenship to register to vote

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 54, the state's two-year transportation budget, on March 31, 2025, without vetoing a Senate-added provision requiring Bureau of Motor Vehicles applicants to provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship before BMV staff may offer them the opportunity to register to vote. The requirement, which took effect that June, applies only to BMV registrations and adds a paperwork burden on top of the sworn citizenship attestation Ohio already requires of every registrant regardless of channel.

Elon Musk gave two Wisconsin voters $1 million checks two days before the 2025 state Supreme Court election

Two days before Wisconsin's April 1, 2025 state Supreme Court election, Elon Musk personally handed $1 million checks to two voters, Nicholas Jacobs and Ekaterina Diestler, at a Green Bay rally, after his political action committee America PAC designated them "spokesmen" for a petition opposing "activist judges." Musk and groups he funded spent more than $20 million backing conservative candidate Brad Schimel, who lost to Susan Crawford in the country's most expensive judicial election; Wisconsin's Attorney General had sued unsuccessfully to block the payments beforehand.

Education Secretary McMahon rescinded states' extensions to spend COVID-relief education funds, cutting billions including $137M for Mississippi

On March 28, 2025, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon notified state education agencies that previously approved extensions to spend remaining COVID-19 pandemic relief funds were rescinded effective immediately, reversing deadlines that had run through March 2026. The abrupt cancellation put billions of dollars nationwide at risk, including roughly $137 million Mississippi was using for literacy, mental health, school construction, and rural technology programs. States and districts said the reversal disrupted programs already underway.

Ohio Gov. DeWine signed SB1, banning college DEI programs and forcing closure of LGBTQ campus centers

On March 28, 2025, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 1, the "Advance Ohio Higher Education Act," into law, banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, offices, and staff positions at Ohio's public colleges and universities. The law does not name LGBTQ programs directly, but its DEI-infrastructure ban forced Ohio University to close its Pride Center, Women's Center, and Multicultural Center and eliminate all eight center staff positions, while Ohio State University took down its LGBTQ student-services website.

Trump signs EO 14251 stripping collective bargaining rights from 40+ federal agencies on pretextual national security grounds

President Trump signed Executive Order 14251 on March 27, 2025, excluding more than 40 federal agencies and subdivisions from the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS), the law Congress enacted to protect most federal employees' right to collectively bargain. The order applied a sweeping "national security" rationale to agencies including the Department of Justice, FDA, CDC, and EPA — bodies with no plausible national security mission — stripping their workers of union rights through executive action rather than legislation. Affected unions including the NTEU, AFGE, and AFL-CIO filed legal challenges, and the EO became the legal authority for a cascade of agency-level de-recognition actions through August 2025.

Trump signs EO 14253 directing Smithsonian to eliminate content on Black history, women's history, and gender identity

President Trump signed Executive Order 14253, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," on March 27, 2025, directing the Vice President — through his seat on the Smithsonian Board of Regents — to remove content labeled "improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology" from Smithsonian museums, education centers, and the National Zoo. The order specifically named the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum as perpetuating "divisive, race-centered ideology." The EO also directed Cabinet members to work with Congress to defund Smithsonian programs that "divide Americans based on race" or acknowledge transgender identity, and ordered reinstatement of historical statues removed from federal property over the prior five years.

President Trump pardoned Nikola founder Trevor Milton, foreclosing restitution sought for defrauded investors

On March 27, 2025, President Trump pardoned Nikola founder Trevor Milton, who had been convicted by a jury of securities and wire fraud for misleading investors about his company's technology. Milton and his wife had given more than $1.8 million to a Trump reelection fund shortly before the 2024 election, and the pardon foreclosed hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution prosecutors were seeking for defrauded investors. At a news conference Trump said Milton was targeted for having been an early supporter.

Trump signs EO 14250 suspending WilmerHale employees' security clearances, directing federal contractors to sever ties with firm

President Trump signed Executive Order 14250 on March 27, 2025, directing federal agencies to suspend the security clearances of all WilmerHale employees and instructing federal contractors to terminate their relationships with the firm. The order cited WilmerHale's prior association with Special Counsel Robert Mueller — a former WilmerHale partner — and the firm's DEI policies as justification. It was the third in a series of retaliatory executive orders targeting law firms whose attorneys had represented parties adverse to the president or participated in legal investigations of him.

Kentucky enacted SB2 barring hormone therapy and gender-reassignment surgery for transgender state inmates

On March 27, 2025, Kentucky Senate Bill 2 became law without Gov. Andy Beshear's signature, prohibiting state correctional facilities from initiating hormone therapy for transgender inmates and banning gender-reassignment surgery outright. The Republican-controlled legislature passed the measure 31-6 in the Senate and 73-12 in the House; a floor amendment let inmates already receiving hormone therapy at admission continue it. The law made Kentucky one of several states in 2025 to restrict gender-affirming medical care for incarcerated people.

Kentucky legislature overrode Beshear's veto to enact HB4, banning DEI programs at public universities

On March 27, 2025, the Kentucky General Assembly overrode Gov. Andy Beshear's veto to enact House Bill 4, banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the state's public universities and colleges. The law bars institutions from funding DEI offices, positions, or training and prohibits differential treatment in admissions, scholarships, and housing based on protected characteristics. Schools had to comply by June 30, 2025, with annual certifications beginning July 1, 2026, and the attorney general may sue non-compliant institutions.

Kentucky legislature overrode Beshear's veto to enact HB495, voiding conversion-therapy protections and barring Medicaid gender-affirming care

On March 27, 2025, the Kentucky General Assembly overrode Gov. Andy Beshear's veto to enact House Bill 495, passing it 78-20 in the House and 31-6 in the Senate. The law nullifies Beshear's 2024 executive order restricting conversion therapy and bars Kentucky Medicaid from covering gender-affirming medical care for transgender people. An emergency clause made the measure effective immediately.

Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB300 barring transgender athletes from women's and girls' school sports

On March 27, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 300, which bars transgender women and girls from competing on female K-12 and university sports teams based on sex assigned at birth rather than gender identity. Sponsored by Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, the law took effect October 1, 2025 and made Montana one of at least 25 states with such a restriction. Gianforte signed it the same day as a companion measure, House Bill 121, restricting bathroom and locker-room access by sex assigned at birth.

Montana Gov. Gianforte signed HB121, restricting bathrooms and changing rooms to sex assigned at birth

On March 27, 2025, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 121, requiring restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping areas in public schools, correctional facilities, juvenile detention centers, domestic-violence shelters, and other public buildings to be designated for use based on a person's external genitalia present at birth. The law, sponsored by state Rep. Kerri Seekins-Crowe, took effect immediately upon signature. The ACLU of Montana sued the same day, and a state district court later blocked its enforcement with a preliminary injunction.

Utah enacted HB77, banning Pride flags from public schools and government buildings; first such state ban

On March 27, 2025, Utah enacted House Bill 77, "Flag Display Amendments," after Gov. Spencer Cox declined to sign or veto it and allowed it to become law. The measure bars government entities and public schools from displaying any flag except an approved list — the U.S. flag, Utah's state flag, and official government, military, and comparable flags — and was widely promoted as a ban on Pride flags in classrooms and public buildings. Utah became the first state to enact such a ban, enforced by the state auditor through fines.

Interior Department rescinded Scotts Valley Band's casino eligibility without notice, days after donor-backed rival tribe's lobbying push

On March 26, 2025, the Department of the Interior rescinded its January 10, 2025 determination that the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians' proposed Vallejo, California casino site qualified for gaming, without giving the tribe notice or an opportunity to respond. The rescission came one week after lobbyists for the rival Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation — which donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration and later $2 million to the MAGA Inc. super PAC — asked Deputy Assistant Secretary Ken Bellmard for precisely that two-step rescission approach. A federal judge ruled on October 30, 2025 that the rescission violated the tribe's due-process rights and vacated it.