Federal judge extends block on Trump administration’s $1.8 billion compensation fund
The Facts
- U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema extended an existing court block and issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump administration from creating or operating the roughly $1.8 billion fund while the case continues.
- The Justice Department argued the lawsuit was moot after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the administration was not moving forward with the fund, but the judge rejected that argument.
- Brinkema said statements from administration officials were insufficient because they were not made under oath, and she gave the administration about one week to submit a sworn statement that the fund will not go forward.
- Multiple reports said the judge remained unconvinced the fund was definitively abandoned, citing Trump’s comments and the lack of a formal rescission or sworn disavowal from the administration.
- The proposed fund was described by the administration as a way to compensate people who say they were victims of politicized or improper government investigations or prosecutions.
- The fund was tied to a settlement involving Trump’s lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns, which is why the court fight matters beyond Friday’s hearing: it affects whether settlement money can be used for the proposed compensation program.
How left and right are reading this
- Both agree
- Formal, sworn accountability is required before a roughly $1.8 billion fund tied to settlement money can be treated as abandoned; informal public assurances were not enough to lift the court block or make the case moot.
- They split on
- Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: the rule that an administration must formally disavow a major compensation program under oath, versus the practical stakes for whether settlement money can still be used to create it.
Analytical frames for this storyTap to explore
Context
Why did the judge keep the fund blocked if the administration said it was ending the plan?
Brinkema said public assurances were not enough because they were not made under oath, and she pointed to Trump’s comments and the lack of a formal rescission as reasons she was not convinced the plan was definitively over Investing.com,NBC News,POLITICO.
What was the fund supposed to do?
According to the administration’s description in court coverage, the fund was meant to compensate people who claimed they had been targeted by politicized or improper government investigations or prosecutions Washington Post,POLITICO,PBS.org.
What happens next in the case?
The administration has about a week to provide a sworn statement that the fund will not move forward; until then, the preliminary injunction remains in place and the lawsuit continues rather than being dismissed as moot Investing.com,CNBC,CNN.
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Wire services (10)
ReutersSuperhits 97.9 Terre Haute, INUS judge indefinitely blocks Trump's 'anti-weaponization' fu...
Independent coverage (42)
NBC NewsFederal judge indefinitely blocks Trump's 'anti-weaponizatio...
Raw StorySuspicious judge blocks Trump's slush fund indefinitely
MediaiteJudge Orders Trump Admin to Submit Sworn Statement Saying An...
Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH)Judge extends block on Trump's $1.8 billion 'Anti-Weaponizat...
Washington ExaminerJudge wants Blanche to swear anti-weaponization fund won't b...
DNyuzBlocking Trump's Fund, Judge Presses for Guarantee It Won't ...
Missouri Lawyers MediaFederal judge indefinitely blocks Trump's $1.8 billion payou...
USA TodayTrump's 'Anti-weaponization fund' indefinitely blocked by fe...
YahooTrump's 'Anti-weaponization fund' indefinitely blocked by fe...
Virginia MercuryJudge blocks Trump's 'anti-weaponization' fund until governm...
YahooJudge continues to block DOJ's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponizat...
The HillJudge indefinitely blocks Trump 'anti-weaponization' fund
International Business TimesJudge Grants Long-Term Block Of 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' In...
Washington PostFederal judge indefinitely blocks Trump's $1.8 billion payou...
CBS NewsJudge continues to block Justice Department's $1.8 billion "...
MyCentralOregon.comJudge issues injunction blocking administration's 'Anti-Weap...
YahooJudge extends block on Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'
POLITICOJudge extends block on Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'
YahooJudge says she doesn't believe 'anti-weaponization' fund is ...
CNNJudge says she doesn't believe 'anti-weaponization' fund is ...
NewsChannel 3-12Judge says she doesn't believe 'anti-weaponization' fund is ...
The GuardianJudge extends block on Trump's $1.8bn 'anti-weaponization' f...
HuffPostFederal Judge Blocks Trump's Plan To Compensate Jan. 6 Riote...
Idaho State JournalThe Latest: Judge extends block on Trump's $1.8 billion anti...
KULR-8 Local NewsThe Latest: Judge extends block on Trump's $1.8 billion anti...
Internewscast JournalJudge Keeps Trump's $1.8 Billion 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' o...
The Bakersfield CalifornianThe Latest: Judge extends block on Trump's $1.8 billion anti...
www.weny.comThe Latest: Judge extends block on Trump's $1.8 billion anti...
The Northern Virginia DailyThe Latest: Judge extends block on Trump's $1.8 billion anti...
The IndependentJudge indefinitely blocks Trump $1.8B 'slush fund' after DOJ...
The Detroit NewsJudge indefinitely blocks Trump's 'anti-weaponization' fund
YahooJudge issues injunction blocking administration's 'Anti-Weap...
Talking Points MemoJudge Blocks Anti-Weaponization Slush Fund
CNBCJudge grants longer-term block of 'anti-weaponization' fund,...
Bloomberg BusinessJudge Rejects DOJ Assurance 'Weaponization' Fund Is Defunct
The National DeskJudge extends block on Trump administration's $1.8B 'anti-we...
TribLIVEJudge extends block on Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponizati...
Northwest Arkansas Democrat GazetteJudge refuses injunction on fund | Northwest Arkansas Democr...
The New RepublicJudge Sounds Trump Slush Fund's Official Death Knell
YahooOpinion - Weaponization fund controversy ends in a blurry tr...
The HillWeaponization fund controversy ends in a blurry trade-off
NourishJustice Department halts $1.8bn fund
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