ABA Grant Withdrawal by Trump Administration Halted by Judge (1)

A DC federal judge ordered the Justice Department to temporarily freeze its moves to terminate grants to the American Bar Association.

The order comes after a May 12 hearing at which Judge Christopher Cooper peppered both sides with queries into jurisdiction and the change in the Justice Department’s priorities. Cooper granted the ABA’s request for a preliminary injunction, writing in an opinion that the government does not meaningfully contest the merits of the ABA’s First Amendment retaliation claim.

The ABA, represented by Democracy Forward, sued the Justice Department over $3.2 million worth of terminated grants on April 23, saying the withdrawal is an effort to “retaliate against the ABA for taking positions the current administration disfavors.”

The $3.2 million comprises five active grants for training civil attorneys representing victims of gender-based violence. The Justice Department terminated the grants one day after it said it would limit its attorneys’ participation in ABA events.

“For decades, the American Bar Association has provided critical training to lawyers to enable the provision of essential legal services to survivors,” Skye Perryman, president and chief executive officer of Democracy Forward, said in a statement. “The court recognized today that the ABA is being unconstitutionally targeted by the Department of Justice because of their longstanding and unchanged stance on the importance of the rule of law and our Constitution.”

The DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The case is American Bar Association v. US Department of Justice, D.D.C., 1:25-cv-01263, 5/14/25.