June update: What democracy looks like
This is what democracy looks like
After five months of chaos and destruction at the hands of a recklessly anti-science, anti-democratic administration, the opposition is finally starting to gain in size and strength.
- On June 14, millions of us took to the streets to protest authoritarianism.
- On June 16, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore billions of dollars in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), saying, “I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this.”
- Also on June 16, the American Bar Association took a historic stand by filing a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration for its attempts to intimidate the legal profession, arguing that the administration’s actions violate the separation of powers and the First Amendment.
- On June 20, a former longtime NIH director spoke out against the massive cuts to scientific research and the censoring of federal scientists, calling the administration’s actions “a slash-and-burn approach, without any apparent consideration of what these actions might mean for the future of America’s health… It’s heartless.”
This is what democracy looks like. It looks like courageous people standing together against tyranny, including in the streets and in the courts.
At CSLDF, we’re providing free legal help to federal researchers and other scientists affected by the cuts to grant funding, mass firings, and censorship – including pushing back on attempts to further erode the federal workforce. We’re tracking what the Trump administration is doing to scientific research, including the 75 (and counting) attacks on science since he took office for the second time.
Democracy looks like all of us continuing to fight, even when it feels like too much, because giving up is not an option. We’re not going anywhere.
Please note that things are moving very quickly and may have changed by the time you read this newsletter.
News & Updates
Kate Marvel and Friends: Feeling Climate Change
On June 16, CSLDF Executive Director Lauren Kurtz joined climate scientist Kate Marvel and other special guests at the New York Public Library for a conversation about what it feels like to live in a changing world.
CSLDF responds to Trump administration’s attempts to gut protections for federal scientists
June 11, 2025 | Chris Marchesano, CSLDF
For over 140 years, America’s federal workforce has been the backbone of our democracy; apolitical civil servants provide the research and expertise that guide America’s scientific and medical progress. CSLDF opposes the Trump administration’s proposed rule to create a “Schedule Policy/Career,” which would strip civil service protections from many federal workers – including federal researchers – and imperil critical scientific and environmental policies.
June 10, 2025 | Lini Kadaba, Bryn Mawr Alumnae Bulletin
In 2024, the planet was the warmest it has ever been in the 175 years of observational records. Calls to combat climate change are more urgent than ever, but face significant hurdles like climate skepticism and cuts to research funding. On the forefront of that fight are Bryn Mawr College alumnae, including Lauren Kurtz, CSLDF Executive Director. “Every administration has its anti-science moments” but “[s]ome are worse than others.”