On August 7, 2025, a diverse group of educators, advocacy groups, and law firms a déposé une plainte fédérale challenging a new anti-equity, anti-inclusion, and anti-diversity law in New Hampshire. The law became effective on July 1, 2025, after being signed into law by Governor Ayotte in late June. 

The law, contained within House Bill 2’s budget provisions, seeks to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs pertaining to race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability in New Hampshire schools (including both K-12 public schools as well as both public and private colleges and universities) and public entities like police departments and libraries. 

According to the lawsuit, this law radically contradicts federal civil rights laws that protect the rights of students with disabilities, violates the First Amendment rights of educators and students, and is vague and ambiguous under the United States and New Hampshire Constitutions.

The lawsuit was brought by the state’s largest educator union, National Education Association – New Hampshire (NEA-NH), four school districts (Oyster River Cooperative School District, the Dover School District, the Somersworth School District, and the Grantham School District), trainer and consultant for diversity, equity, and inclusion James M. McKim, Jr., diversity, equity, and inclusion administrator and psychology professor Dottie Morris, and New Hampshire Outright, a nonprofit that provides training in public schools and entities on creating environments of inclusion and belonging for LGBTQ+ students.   

They are represented by lawyers from a broad coalition of organizations and law firms, including the ACLU of New Hampshire, the national ACLU’s Disability Rights Project and Racial Justice Program, National Education Association-New Hampshire (NEA-NH), GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, and Drummond Woodsum & MacMahon.