Administration Terminates Anti-Weaponization Fund; One Judge Accepts Filing as Mooting Case

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema issued an injunction on June 12, 2026, blocking the Trump administration from establishing the Anti-Weaponization Fund. The fund was valued at $1.776 billion according to court filings.

Brinkema gave the Justice Department one week to submit a written declaration that the fund is terminated and will not be reinstated. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers the Justice Department is abandoning plans for the fund.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon declined to intervene after the department said the fund was no longer moving forward. Leon warned the department not to treat his decision as permission to revive the program.

"I give the Justice Department this warning: Don't play possum with me," he said from the bench. The fund originated from President Donald Trump's settlement with the IRS. The settlement required Trump to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and two civil claims totaling $230 million tied to the Russia collusion investigation and the 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago estate.

The agreement set deadlines for a five-member board by June 17, 2026, and funding transfers by July 17, 2026, according to CREW attorney Nikhel Sus. A May 18 order established procedures for the fund. The fund was announced last month to compensate individuals who allege they were wrongly targeted under the former Biden administration.

During the June 12 hearing, Brinkema noted that an unidentified individual had sent an application for money from the fund directly to the court that week. "We had to send it back," she said. Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Bill Cassidy submitted an amicus brief urging Brinkema to permanently block the fund. On June 10, Judge Leon denied CREW's request for a temporary restraining order.