The U.S. Department of Education filed to dismiss its appeal in litigation over a sweeping anti‑DEI Dear Colleague letter, effectively pausing the agency’s effort to enforce guidance that threatened federal funding for many race‑based programs. The original Feb. 14 memo claimed certain equity programs could unlawfully discriminate following the Supreme Court’s SFFA v. Harvard ruling; a federal judge issued an injunction last August. The administration’s withdrawal of the appeal followed the American Federation of Teachers’ lawsuit and drew praise from civil‑rights advocates who said the move preserved decades of federal civil‑rights protections. Education Department officials declined detailed comment; union leaders framed the dismissal as a win for schools and K–12 and higher‑education institutions that rely on DEI frameworks.