A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Trump’s dismantling of three federal agencies that support libraries, museums, minority businesses and mediation services.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell agreed with 21 Democratic-led states that the shutdowns violate the separation of powers.
“It also disregards the fundamental constitutional role of each of the branches of our federal government; specifically, it ignores the unshakable principles that Congress makes the law and appropriates funds, and the Executive implements the law Congress enacted and spends the funds Congress appropriated,” McConnell wrote.
The lawsuit stems from Trump’s March 14 executive order that sought to eliminate seven federal agencies, part of his sweeping efforts to slash wide swaths of the federal bureaucracy. The order has quickly led to mass layoffs, grant freezes and other sweeping reductions at the agencies.
The Democratic-led states sued over the dismantling of three of those agencies: the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS).
In response to a separate lawsuit, another federal judge last week paused plans for layoffs at the IMLS, but McConnell’s order is the first to also block the dismantling of the other two agencies.
The coalition is co-led by Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha (D), New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez, who is a Democrat, though the office is technically nonpartisan.
The judge also refused the Trump administration’s threshold arguments it contended prevented the court from considering the lawsuit, including that the states have no legal standing to sue and the case must be pursued in the Court of Federal Claims.
“The States have presented compelling evidence illustrating that the harms stemming from the dismantling of IMLS, MBDA, and FMCS are already unfolding or are certain to occur, in light the significant reduction in personnel available and competent to administer these agencies’ funds and services and the elimination of certain programs that served the States,” McConnell wrote.
The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
It isn’t the first time McConnell, an appointee of former President Obama who serves in Rhode Island, has blocked Trump’s efforts to freeze aspects of federal spending.
The judge previously blocked the administration from implementing a planned across-the-board freeze on federal grants, a ruling that sparked calls for his impeachment from one House Republican.
“Once again, this Court is confronted with a legal challenge by various states, against an Executive Order that attempts to dismantle congressionally sanctioned agencies and ignores congressionally appropriated funds,” McConnell noted in Tuesday’s ruling.