Judge temporarily blocks DOJ work on $1.7+ billion "anti-weaponization" fund

Politics Judge temporarily blocks Justice Dept. work on $1.7+ billion "anti-weaponization" fund By Melissa Quinn, Melissa Quinn Senior Reporter, Politics Melissa Quinn is a senior reporter for CBSNews.com, where she covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts. Read Full Bio Melissa Quinn, Jacob Rosen Jacob Rosen Justice Department Reporter Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump's 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." Read Full Bio Jacob Rosen May 29, 2026 / 9:48 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Justice Department from moving forward with work on the new $1.7+ billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, including making any payouts.U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said in a brief order that the temporary hold allows her time to consider whether to grant longer-term relief sought by a group of plaintiffs who are challenging the new fund, which was announced by the Justice Department earlier this month.Andrew Floyd, a former federal prosecutor who investigated and prosecuted people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, and Jonathan Caravello, a California professor who was arrested while protesting an immigration raid, as well as nonprofits, filed their lawsuit last week arguing that the fund is unlawful.The lawsuit alleged that the fund is a "collusive agreement" between President Trump and his administration that "has no congressional authorization, no basis in law, and no accountability."The Anti-Weaponization Fund was created by the Justice Department as part of a settlement of Mr. Trump's civil lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns by a former government contractor.The Justice Department said the program aims to "provide a systematic process to hear...