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Earlier this week, the Trump administration dropped its appeal in Rhode Island v. Trump, one of the two cases filed against the regime following the gutting of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) last March. Now, just days later, the second case brought to court over the IMLS’s dismantling has an outcome, too. The Plaintiffs, the American Library Association (ALA) and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), have settled their case against Keith Sonderling (Sonderling, at the time of the initial filing, served as the IMLS Acting Director but no longer holds the title, even as he continues to serve unofficially in the role).
The settlement in ALA v. Sonderling follows the outcome in Rhode Island v. Trump. The agency cannot be further dismantled under executive orders. In addition, the agency will continue its work in distributing grants, conducting research, and supporting public libraries and museums nationwide.
The ALA v. Sonderling settlement also states that the IMLS will not be subject to further Reductions in Force (RIFs). The agency, which had 98 staff members, was brought down to 40 in the gutting.
“When the administration began shuttering IMLS last year, it set off a chain reaction. Libraries across the country started cutting hours, staff, and services people rely on – after school programs, support for jobseekers, and connection for older adults,” said Sam Helmick, President of the American Library Association in a press release. “This settlement protects life-changing library services for communities across the country. ALA will continue to defend every American’s freedom to read and learn.”
Although this week brought two significant victories for libraries and the IMLS, which are worthy of celebrating, it’s essential to note that the administration was amenable to a settlement in this case–and ending their appeal in Rhode Island–not out of a change in administrative priorities. The IMLS has, for the second year in a row, been defunded through Trump’s budget. The fiscal year 2027 proposal once again attempts to completely subset the agency. When this was proposed for the fiscal year 2026 budget, it took advocates 10 months to restore agency funding. Now is the time to continue reaching out to your representatives in Congress about funding the agency in 2026, and you can pair that action with telling your representatives to strongly oppose House Resolution 7661, the national book ban bill.
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The fight continues, but thanks to the actions of the plaintiffs in both of these federal cases, it’s clear that there is judicial agreement on the merits and value of the IMLS.
A full timeline of the dismantling of the IMLS is available here and will continue to be updated.
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