Democratic AGs Secure Order Blocking Federal Funding Freeze

Cozen O'Connor
Contact

Cozen O'Connor

  • A coalition of 23 Democratic AGs, led by California AG Rob Bonta and New York AG Letitia James, has secured a temporary restraining order blocking a directive from the  Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that would withhold federal funding to states.
  • The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and vacatur of the OMB directive, which ordered federal agencies to pause most federal assistance funding and loans to states. The court held that the AGs had a substantial likelihood of success on their claims that the directive was contrary to law, violated the APA; threatened states’ ability to conduct essential activities, was arbitrary and capricious, and violated separation of powers principles. The court ordered that the temporary restraining order remain in effect until the court rules on the AGs’ forthcoming motion for a preliminary injunction.
  • The court rejected the Trump administration’s argument that the matter was moot because it had rescinded the OMB directive, finding that the evidence demonstrated that the rescission was in name only and that the substantive effect of the directive continued.
  • We have previously reported on the AGs’ lawsuit, as well as an administrative stay of the OMB directive filed by another federal district court in response to a separate challenge by nonprofit organizations that receive federal funding.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. Attorney Advertising.

© Cozen O'Connor

Written by:

Cozen O'Connor
Contact
more
less

PUBLISH YOUR CONTENT ON JD SUPRA NOW

  • Increased visibility
  • Actionable analytics
  • Ongoing guidance

Cozen O'Connor on:

Reporters on Deadline

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
Custom Email Digest
- hide
- hide