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Attorney General William Tong and a coalition of 22 other attorneys general today won a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration to block its policy that would freeze funding for federal agency grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs.
Judge John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island today granted the preliminary injunction after Attorney General Tong and the coalition sued the Trump administration to stop the funding freeze.
“This is a major early victory, signaling the strength of our case and the brazen lawlessness of Trump’s overreaching executive order. Let’s not forget what Donald Trump did on January 27—this was a blanket freeze on trillions of dollars of federal funding, hitting every corner of our government. This was no idle threat. On the day we sued, Head Start funding was down. Medicaid funding was frozen. We sued immediately, and the court orders we have secured are what is now standing in the way of Donald Trump defunding our police, our highways, energy assistance, and our schools. This fight is far from over, but we are prepared to stay in court for as long as it takes to protect Connecticut families and Connecticut jobs,” said Attorney General Tong.
Attorney General Tong and the coalition sued the administration over the freeze on January 28, and on January 31, the court granted the attorneys general’s request for a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the freeze’s implementation until further order from the court. On February 7, Attorney General Tong and the coalition filed motions for enforcement and a preliminary injunction to stop the freeze. On February 8, the court granted the motion for enforcement, ordering the administration to immediately comply with the TRO and stop freezing federal funds. On February 28, Attorney General Tong and the coalition filed a second motion for enforcement seeking to stop the Trump administration from freezing hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to the states from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted Attorney General Tong and the coalition’s request for a preliminary injunction, halting the implementation of the administration’s policy. The Court concluded that the states had demonstrated a high likelihood of success on their claims that the actions making up the funding freeze policy were unlawful. In today’s order, the Court also required the administration to provide evidence of their compliance with regard to unfreezing FEMA funds by March 14 and to alert all agencies about the Court’s order.
The lawsuit is led by the attorneys general of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. Joining the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
It's worth mentioning Judge McConnell's political donations and involvement have been called into question.
The Obama-appointed judge donated nearly $80,000 to the Rhode Island Democratic Party, local causes and candidates between 2002 and 2009. He has served as treasurer for the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee for 14 years, as campaign chair for a democrat mayor, and on the board of directors at Planned Parenthood in Rhode Island.
Judge McConnell has been accused of being an activist from the bench by several people in the Trump Administration, including Elon Musk, especially after footage of the judge labeling Trump a "tyrant" and comparing his first term to "the damage inflicted by the Civil War and Jim Crow laws" was uncovered by Natalie Winters. Musk even called for the impeachment of Judge McConnell.
In response to the footage, Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican from Georgia, promised he would draft articles of impeachment against Judge McConnell, calling him a "partisan activist weaponizing our judicial system" just to stop President Trump.
I’m drafting articles of impeachment for U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr.
— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) February 12, 2025
He’s a partisan activist weaponizing our judicial system to stop President Trump’s funding freeze on woke and wasteful government spending.
We must end this abusive overreach. Stay tuned. https://t.co/ARp7KBjK9u
