Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Authority to Withhold Counterterrorism Funds Over Election Practices
A federal judge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has blocked the Trump administration's authority to withhold counterterrorism funds from states based on their election administration practices.
Burlington Plattsburgh, VT, September 28, 2026 —
A federal judge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has issued a ruling that blocks the Trump administration’s authority to withhold counterterrorism funding from states if their election administration practices were deemed unsatisfactory. The decision pertains to the administration’s power to condition the allocation of these security funds on the perceived quality of a state’s election processes.
The specific details regarding the name of the federal judge, the court that issued the ruling, the exact counterterrorism funds affected, or the particular election administration practices that prompted the administration’s actions were not provided in the available summary. It is also unclear which states, if any, were directly targeted or affected by the administration’s previous stance on withholding these funds.
The ruling effectively stops the administration from leveraging counterterrorism grants as a tool to influence or penalize states based on their electoral procedures. This judicial intervention addresses a significant aspect of federal-state relations concerning national security funding and election oversight. The contractor’s name was not provided. The fine amount was not provided. The permit status was not provided. The inspection outcomes were not provided. The code violations were not provided. No specific timeline or date for the ruling was provided.
Story summarized from the original created by MARC LEVY, Associated Press on www.mychamplainvalley.com, see more information here.
Media gallery
