A US federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from making changes to election administration a condition for local governments to receive full counterterrorism funding.
The ruling concerns the Homeland Security Grant Program, which provides funding to state and local governments to strengthen their ability to prevent and respond to terrorism and other major emergencies.
The Trump administration had introduced election related requirements as conditions for receiving the grants. Among the measures were changes involving voting systems, election audits, voter citizenship verification and the citizenship verification of some election workers.
Under the funding arrangements, jurisdictions could have had part of their grants withheld if they failed to demonstrate compliance with the requirements.
Several local governments challenged the conditions in federal court, arguing that the federal government was using public safety funding to impose election rules that were not directly connected to the purpose of counterterrorism grants. The legal challenge was brought by local governments including Nashville and several counties and cities.
The latest ruling prevents the administration from conditioning the counterterrorism funding on the disputed election changes while the legal proceedings continue.
The decision comes as the United States prepares for its 2026 midterm elections, with election administration remaining a major area of legal and political dispute.
The ruling is part of a broader series of court challenges involving the Trump administration and its efforts to influence election administration through federal policies and funding conditions.
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