ALA, AFSCME Defend IMLS and Reach Settlement With Federal Government
The American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees have reached a settlement in ALA et al. v. Keith Sonderling et al., a case to prevent the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. On April 9, all the parties agreed to a voluntary dismissal of the case.
This agreement comes in the same week that the executive branch dropped its appeal of State of Rhode Island v. Trump, a case in which 21 states’ attorneys general were awarded a permanent injunction in their effort to protect IMLS and other agencies.
Last June, District Court Judge Richard J. Leon of the District of Columbia chose not to grant the preliminary injunction requested by ALA and AFSCME in ALA v. Sonderling.Instead, the plaintiffs made a motion for summary judgment last August, and the case proceeded to briefing on the merits. This settlement is welcome news for library supporters.
Parties to the settlement have agreed that “IMLS will continue to award grants, contracts, cooperative agreements and other forms of assistance, to the full extent of Congressional appropriations except as otherwise authorized by law” and that “IMLS is required to comply with various statutory requirements.” The settlement notes that parties “agree to cooperate fully.”
ALA president Sam Helmick celebrated the decision. “When the administration began shuttering IMLS last year,” Helmick said in a press statement, “libraries across the country started cutting hours, staff, and services people rely on.” According to Helmick, “This settlement protects life-changing library services for communities across the country. ALA will continue to defend every American's freedom to read and learn.”
Skye Perryman of Democracy Forward, the organization that represented the plaintiffs along with Gair Gallo Eberhard LLP, wrote in a statement that the dismissal “is proof that litigation works” and that “this settlement ensures that the Trump-Vance administration’s unlawful attempt to dismantle a congressionally mandated agency will not prevail.”
“Today is a victory for every community that depends on libraries and museums as gateways to opportunity, learning, and connection,” agreed AFSCME president Lee Saunders, who called IMLS an “essential institution” that “supports the vital services we provide to communities across the country.”
This week’s news brings closure to the two IMLS cases and gives relief to those concerned about their statutory and competitive grants for 2026. However, the Trump administration's proposed budget for fiscal 2027 does not including any funding for IMLS, and library advocates already have been lobbying their representatives to support appropriations for the agency. A year of diligent action has resulted in courtroom successes, yet the tug-of-war over the future of IMLS goes on.