A federal judge in Virginia said the Trump administration cannot transfer the money or process claims until at least June 12.
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A federal judge in Virginia has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plans for a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay people who claim they were unfairly investigated or prosecuted, ruling that no money can go out the door for now.
U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema said in a brief order docketed Friday that officials with President Donald Trump’s administration are temporarily barred “from taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which includes the transferring of money to the Fund; the consideration of any claims submitted to the Fund; and the disbursing of any funds from the Fund.”
The judge scheduled a hearing for June 12 in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.
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No money has yet been handed out from the fund. Acting attorney general Todd Blanche has not yet named the five commissioners who would be assigned to evaluate claims for compensation. The Justice Department has said the $1.776 billion in taxpayer money it intends to use for the payments would be drawn from a separate legal compensation fund managed by the federal government before July 17.
Brinkema’s order came in connection with a lawsuit filed by Andrew Floyd, a former D.C. federal prosecutor who was fired last year after working on cases stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Other plaintiffs in the case include a man who was arrested in California at a protest of an immigration raid; the city of New Haven, Connecticut; the National Abortion Federation; and the liberal advocacy group Common Cause.
They allege that the “weaponization” fund violates the separation of powers, First Amendment and equal-protection clause of the Constitution, as well as the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal law that lays out specific steps for government agencies creating new rules or programs.
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The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Perry Stein contributed to this report.
