Judge Accepts Termination of $1.8 Billion Fund, Dismisses Challenge

A federal judge in Virginia on Friday extended an indefinite block on the Trump administration's planned $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund," ruling that public statements from officials were not enough to end the litigation. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said none of the statements from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche or President Donald Trump had been made under penalty of perjury.

She gave the administration one week to produce sworn declarations from Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirming the fund is terminated.

Brinkema previously issued a temporary block on May 29.

On Friday she rejected the government's argument that the case is now moot. "There's a huge gap in the record" because the Justice Department has not formally rescinded the May 18 memo that created the fund, she said during the hearing.

“Despite the administration's shifting explanations about the future of the slush fund, the court's order ensures that taxpayer dollars cannot be distributed through this unlawful scheme while the courts fully consider the serious constitutional issues at stake." — Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward A separate federal judge in Washington, D.C., declined to extend a temporary block in a related case earlier this week, accepting the administration's representation that the fund is no longer moving forward.”

Blanche told House lawmakers earlier this month that the department is not moving forward with the fund. Brinkema noted that Trump has continued to express support for the idea in public remarks. She said the public has received an application to the fund at the Alexandria courthouse, which was returned to sender.

Plaintiffs in the Virginia case include Democracy Forward, Common Cause, the city of New Haven, Connecticut, the National Abortion Federation, a fired prosecutor, and a college professor.