A Virginia federal judge again sided with the City of New Haven and four other plaintiffs on Friday as she maintained a previously ordered pause on the Trump administration’s proposed new $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” The judge also ordered the country’s top law enforcement a nd treasury officials to declare — “under the penalty of perjury” — that they won’t move forward with creating or operating the fund as litigation continues.   U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued that order after hearing both sides’ arguments over the plaintiffs’ Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order in the case Andrew Floyd v. Department of Justice. The underlying lawsuit concerns the Trump administration’s announcement in May that it would set up the fund to compensate those who had been subject to “lawfare and weaponization” under the Biden administration. Democrats and Republicans alike denounced the fund, arguing that the president set it up to reward political allies.  In response to bipartisan pushback, Justice Department officials assured lawyers that they would not set up the fund, however, President Donald Trump did not make any such promise himself, telling reporters last week that he loved the fund and thought it was “important.”  On Friday, Brinkenma determined that the fund needs to be paused as litigation continues, to ensure no money is dispersed before a decision about its legality is made. Brinkenma also ordered Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, Jr., and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to file a declaration by next Friday affirming that they would “not take any action to create or operate the Anti-Weaponization Fund, and that the Anti-Weaponization Fund will not proceed in any manner, or under any name.” “The judge’s ruling was very firm,” Mayor Justin Elicker said on Friday. The order is “great news,” he added. “I feel proud to be a part of a city that allows us to take these kind of stances at this time and to step up at a moment when a lot of other cities aren’t.” The City of New Haven — which the Trump administration sued in April over its “sanctuary policies” — is the only municipality to sign on as a plaintiff in this case. The other plaintiffs include former federal prosecutor Andrew Floyd, Professor Jonathan Caravello, the National Abortion Federation and Common Cause. All of the plaintiffs are being represented by the legal nonprofit Democracy Forward.   “While there’s been some statements by the federal government that the slush fund is dead, President Trump’s comments indicate that it might not be dead,” Elicker said on Friday. “It’s an important decision because if there’s not a maintenance of the status quo, and funds were allocated, it’s difficult to pull those funds back later on.” In the initial lawsuit, Democracy Forward argued that the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” violated the United States Constitution, gave the executive too much authority, bypassed Congressional powers over federal spending, and violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which holds that the executive must have procedural explanations for actions it takes. A decision on the legality of the fund is forthcoming — the judge’s announcement on Friday ensures that the status quo will be maintained. Meanwhile, on Thursday, New Jersey U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat, and Louisiana U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs in this case. “The Anti-Weaponization Fund presents a threat to our constitutional democracy that this Court has never before been asked to confront,” they wrote in the brief. They wrote that the scheme is “deliberately designed to recast insurrectionists—including those who perpetrated violence against law enforcement officers—as victims.” Both senators happen to have connections to Yale. Booker is a Yale Law School alum and Cassidy is an advocate for the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity.  New Haven has joined five lawsuits against the Trump administration and 24 amicus briefs since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in 2025. “We have a lot of challenges to address in our cities, states and country,” Elicker wrote in a press release on Friday, “and our taxpayer dollars should be spent on critical priorities that benefit all Americans.” The post Judge Pauses Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” — Again appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less