Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Tying Grants to Election Rules

Judge Amir H. Ali of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia blocked the Trump administration from conditioning counterterrorism grants on changes to local election administration. The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by local governments in Tennessee, Texas, and Ohio, which argued that the federal government lacked the legal authority to tie Homeland Security Grant Program funds to election procedures.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security had attempted to withhold 20 percent of awards, totaling more than $200 million nationwide. To receive the funds, jurisdictions were required to transition to hand-marked paper ballots, conduct 5 percent post-election manual audits, reconcile voter participation with ballots cast, and use the SAVE system to verify the citizenship of voters and election workers.

The court's decision prevents the administration from imposing these conditions while litigation continues. The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, acting as a lead plaintiff, argued that the program was not created to empower the federal government to control state and local election procedures.