Judge rules Trump unconstitutionally retaliated against ABA by canceling grants

[Jessica_Rose]

Judge rules Trump unconstitutionally retaliated against ABA by canceling grants

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/judge-rules-trump-unconstitutionally-retaliated-against-aba-by-canceling-grants/ar-AA1EOUHy?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=ae0e18996bb54569d6261bdffae99616&ei=13

Story by Darryl Coote (15 May 2025)

May 15 (UPI) -- A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration unconstitutionally retaliated against the American Bar Association when it abruptly canceled millions in grants awarded to the world's largest association of lawyers and legal professionals.

Judge Christopher Cooper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction against the cancelation of the five grants and ordered the Justice Department to fully pay out the $3.2 million previously allocated to the ABA. The grants were intended to train lawyers and judges who work with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The Trump administration has been accused of retaliating against President Donald Trump's perceived political opponents, including law firms associated with Democrats and judges who have ruled against his policies.

The ABA is among those who have described such attacks as threats to the judiciary, and in February, it joined a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's freeze of international development grants to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In April, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memorandum calling out ABA over its lawsuit against the government and support for "activist causes," essentially severing the Justice Department's interactions with the organization. The department then canceled the grants the next day.