U.S. District Judge William Orrick on Friday extended a nationwide preliminary injunction that bars the Trump administration from withholding or conditioning federal funds from 34 cities and counties because of their “sanctuary” policies, which limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The order protects major jurisdictions such as Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Denver and Baltimore. The ruling broadens an injunction Orrick issued in April that covered 16 jurisdictions. He found that President Donald Trump’s executive orders directing federal agencies to cut off funding amounted to an unconstitutional “coercive threat,” and he blocked the administration from attaching new immigration-related conditions to two specific grant programs. Local governments told the court that billions of dollars in law-enforcement and social-service grants were at risk. The White House did not immediately comment. The Justice Department has already appealed Orrick’s earlier decision, indicating the legal battle over funding for sanctuary jurisdictions is likely to continue.
A federal judge blocks Trump admin from slashing "sanctuary city" funding https://t.co/YPiS7uQAMY
A judge has ruled that the Trump administration cannot deny funding to Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and 30 other cities and counties because of policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration efforts. https://t.co/WS4swHyMMc
Judge blocks Trump from cutting funding from 34 cities and counties over ‘sanctuary’ policies https://t.co/MbaasOPI86