A federal judge temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s $1.776 billion settlement fund for victims of government weaponization on Friday.
U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema — appointed by former President Bill Clinton — barred Trump’s administration from considering submitted claims or paying claims through the fund, according to the court order. She also prevented the government from continuing the establishment of the fund while litigation is pending.
According to the judge, the order is necessary “to ensure that no funds are irreversibly disbursed from the Anti-Weaponization Fund … while plaintiffs’ Motion is pending.”
Judge Leonie Brinkema in EDVA has enjoined Trump’s 1776 slush fund from going into operation for now. pic.twitter.com/SSxLsu50RT
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) May 29, 2026
The Department of Justice (DOJ) created the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” on May 18 “to provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare.”
Critics allege the DOJ fund is a slush fund that will benefit Trump’s allies, but the fund comes from a history of similar government institutions. Former President Joe Biden’s administration created a comparable $2.2 billion Discrimination Financial Assistance Program to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who had experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs.
Others have connected the fund’s creation with Trump’s decision to drop his lawsuit against the IRS. While the two actions were announced in conjunction, the Anti-Weaponization Fund is not directly contingent upon Trump’s motion to dismiss his lawsuit.
“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the original press release announcing the fund. “As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.” (RELATED: ROOKE: Trump’s ‘Presidential Mercy’ Finds Its First Taker)
The fund will be managed by a five-member commission appointed by the Attorney General. The DOJ has not formally established the commission yet, according to the Associated Press.
Brinkema scheduled a June 12 hearing to decide whether to extend the order blocking payments from the fund.