Judge temporarily blocks Trump DOJ's nearly $2B 'anti-weaponization' fund
A U.S. judge temporarily blocked the Justice Department Friday from "taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation" of a $1.778 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund."
The Trump administration said last week that the fund will compensate Americans unfairly targeted by politicized federal investigations on a "case-by-case" basis.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema’s order on Friday comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of plaintiffs that includes a former career prosecutor who alleges he was fired for his handling of the Jan. 6 cases. The plaintiffs are suing to block payout from the fund.
The order, which lists the Justice Department as a defendant, states that the DOJ is blocked "from taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which includes the transferring of money to the Fund; the consideration of any claims submitted to the Fund; and the disbursing of any funds from the Fund."
The judge also set a hearing for June 12 in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
A Justice Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday that "The Department remains extremely confident in the legality of the Anti-Weaponization Fund which is supported by ample precedent, including Obama-era settlements."
"We will not allow the policy preferences of judges to interfere with our efforts to provide restitution to victims of lawfare," the spokesperson added.
The plaintiffs challenging the fund include former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Floyd, an Alexandria resident who prosecuted Capitol riot cases in Washington, D.C., before he was fired last year by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Floyd was a deputy chief of the Justice Department’s Capitol Siege Section. He said he believes his firing was retaliation for his Jan. 6 work, according to The Associated Press.
Another plaintiff is California State University Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello, who was acquitted of an assault charge. He was accused of throwing a tear gas canister at federal agents during a 2025 protest against an immigration raid at a Camarillo, California, cannabis farm.
Also named as plaintiffs are the government watchdog Common Cause, the city of New Haven, Connecticut, and the National Abortion Federation, an association of abortion providers.
New Haven claims the Trump administration officials have targeted it and other municipalities that they perceive to be "sanctuary" cities. The federation said it fears that the fund will issue payments to people who have attacked abortion clinics, providing an incentive for more violence against its members, the AP also reported.
The Anti-Weaponization Fund was born out of a settlement between President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. Trump filed the lawsuit against the IRS in January over the unauthorized disclosure of his tax records.
Claims will be determined by a five-person board appointed by the attorney general, with at least one member selected for consultation with congressional leadership, according to a Justice Department press release. At any point in time, the president has the power to remove a member without cause, it added.
"This is about seeking accountability for all Americans who were victims of law fare and weaponization: millions of Americans whose online speech was censored at the behest of the government, parents silenced at school boards, Senators whose records were secretly subpoenaed, churchgoers targeted by the FBI, and so on," a Justice Department document stated.
The Anti-Weaponization Fund was slated to last until Dec. 1, 2028.
Funding for the Anti-Weaponization Fund is coming from the Judgment Fund, which is a permanent Treasury account used to pay for settlements and claims against the government.
Fox News' Elaine Mallon, Kerri Urbahn and The Associated Press contributed to this report.