A federal judge temporarily enjoined the Department of Health and Human Services from stripping Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion language from Head Start grant applications and barred further layoffs in the Office of Head Start. The order stems from a lawsuit alleging the administration illegally dismantled Head Start by shutting regional offices, laying off staff, and instructing grant writers to remove terms such as “race,” “belonging,” and “pregnant people.” Plaintiffs include Head Start providers and parent groups; defendants are HHS officials. Program directors said the agency’s guidance had forced cancellations of training and created confusion over legally required demographic reporting. The ruling pauses an administration effort to rewrite Head Start guidance while litigation proceeds.