The Supreme Court Just Weakened Science

By Jeffrey Cooper
The Washington Informer
https://www.washingtoninformer.com/

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in NIH v. American Public Health Association may appear narrow, but its impact is broad and deeply damaging. It severely limits the public’s ability to hold the government accountable when science is undermined.

The case centered on the National Institutes of Health’s abrupt cancellation of research grants following executive orders that banned funding for projects focused on diversity, gender and COVID-19. A federal judge condemned the move as “breathtakingly arbitrary and capricious,” citing clear evidence of racial and gender bias. The judge struck down the policy and reinstated the grants.

But the Supreme Court split the issue: While challenges to NIH’s internal policies can proceed in district court, disputes over the canceled grants must go to the Court of Federal Claims — a venue that cannot restore funding. As Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warned, this creates a “futile, multivenue quest” where winning in court brings no remedy.

These rulings gut the Administrative Procedure Act, which exists to ensure government accountability. Scientists who lose critical funding through unlawful decisions may now win their case but still lose their research.

In response, the African American community must act. That means pursuing legal challenges, lobbying Congress to reform restrictive laws and demanding investigations into NIH actions. Universities and scientific organizations should resist these harmful shifts and support affected researchers. Grassroots advocacy — from protests to public education — must sustain momentum. And in the voting booth, support must go to candidates who prioritize science, equity and accountability.

Justice Jackson is right: This ruling allows agencies to act with impunity. In a moment of fragile trust in science and government, the Court’s decision makes justice harder to reach. The future of research — and democracy — depends on fighting back