DOJ Termination of Criminal Justice Grants Upheld by Judge (1)

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to reinstate hundreds of millions of dollars in grants the Justice Department abruptly terminated in April, calling the DOJ’s decision “shameful” but one that the court lacks power to intervene to prevent.

“Displeasure and sympathy are not enough in a court of law,” Judge Amit P. Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia said Monday. “The court’s powers are limited. It cannot act without jurisdiction or in the absence of a valid cause of action. That is the nub here.”

Mehta said the court lacked the power to hear ...