National Institutes of Health v. American Public Health Association
Emergency application for stay of district court judgments is granted in part and denied in part. Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson would deny in full. Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh would grant in full.
| Docket No. | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25a103 | Not Argued | Aug 21, 2025 | TBD | N/A | OT 2025 |
Issue: Whether the Supreme Court should stay district court judgments blocking the National Institutes of Health from terminating grants
Judgment: Emergency application for stay is granted in part and denied in part on August 21, 2025. Justice Barrett filed a concurring opinion. Chief Justice Roberts filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, joined by Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson. Justice Gorsuch filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, joined by Justice Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part. Jackson filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- The Supreme Court fails to apply its own precedent and continues to sow confusion through its shadow docket (Carolyn Shapiro, September 2, 2025)
- Supreme Court allows Trump administration to terminate $783 million in NIH grants linked to DEI initiatives (Amy Howe, August 21, 2025)
- Groups ask justices to leave order in place requiring Trump administration to fund studies linked to DEI initiatives (Amy Howe, August 1, 2025)
- Trump administration urges Supreme Court to pause order requiring payment of grants linked to DEI initiatives (Amy Howe, July 24, 2025)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 07/24/2025 | Application (25A103) for a stay, submitted to Justice Jackson. |
| 07/25/2025 | Response to application (25A103) requested by Justice Jackson, due by 4p.m. (EDT) on August 1, 2025. |
| 08/01/2025 | Response to application from respondents Massachusetts, et al. filed. |
| 08/01/2025 | Response to application from respondents American Public Health Association, et al. filed. |
| 08/01/2025 | Brief amicus curiae of The Association of American Medical Colleges, et al. filed. |
| 08/01/2025 | Brief amicus curiae of American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, American Society for Microbiology, American Society for Cell Biology filed. |
| 08/04/2025 | Reply of applicant National Institutes of Health, et al. filed. |
| 08/21/2025 | Application (25A103) referred to the Court. |
| 08/21/2025 | Application (25A103) for stay presented to Justice Jackson and by her referred to the Court is granted in part and denied in part. The application is granted as to the District Court’s judgments vacating the Government’s termination of various research-related grants. See Department of Ed. v. California, 604 U. S. ___ (2025) (per curiam). [See Detached Opinion for full order language] The application is otherwise denied. Paragraphs 3 and 4 of the June 23, 2025 order of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, case No. 1:25–cv–10787, and paragraph II of the June 23, 2025 order of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, case No. 1:25–cv–10814, are stayed pending the disposition of the appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and disposition of a petition for a writ of certiorari, if such a writ is timely sought. Should certiorari be denied, this stay shall terminate automatically. In the event certiorari is granted, the stay shall terminate upon the issuance of the judgment of the Court. The Government may raise its arguments as to the remainder of the District Court’s judgments in the ordinary course. The Chief Justice, Justice Sotomayor, Justice Kagan, and Justice Jackson would deny the application in full. Justice Thomas, Justice Alito, Justice Gorsuch, and Justice Kavanaugh would grant the application in full. |