A federal court ruled that the Trump Administration unlawfully conditioned public-safety grants on states’ cooperation with immigration enforcement and permanently blocked implementation or enforcement of those conditions. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and a coalition of 23 states brought the lawsuit; the action concerns grant conditions, not privacy violations.
The court permanently blocked the Trump Administration from implementing or enforcing the challenged immigration-related conditions on public-safety grants.
This action does not address privacy or data practices, so it does not directly call for changes to privacy, consent, or breach-notification clauses. In-house teams administering federal public-safety or justice grants should review grant agreements, subrecipient and pass-through funding terms, and related vendor agreements for eligibility conditions, required cooperation with immigration enforcement, flow-down obligations, and suspension or termination rights; align those terms with applicable court orders and agency guidance.
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Other"earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice applied these illegal conditions to new grants"
"On November 4, District of Rhode Island Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. declared the Trump Administration’s actions unlawful and permanently blocked any implementation or enforcement of these illegal conditions."
"Last year, the Trump Administration, disregarding the clear letter of the law and intent of Congress, declared that states would be unable to access Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds unless they agreed to the Administration’s extreme immigration demands."
"The Administration’s actions violated laws passed by Congress as well as the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution."
"declared that states would be unable to access Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds unless they agreed to the Administration’s extreme immigration demands."
"permanently blocked any implementation or enforcement of these illegal conditions."
A multistate coalition led in part by Virginia obtained a court ruling blocking the federal government from conditioning public safety grants on states’ acceptance of immigration-enforcement demands. The court declared the conditions unlawful and permanently enjoined their implementation or enforcement; the release reports no monetary penalty.
New York Attorney General Letitia James joined 16 other attorneys general in urging Congress to pass proposed legislation addressing the federal government’s release of Jeffrey Epstein-related records. The press release says DOJ has not fully disclosed the records required by the original law and that personal information of at least 43 victims was exposed in released files; this is a legislative advocacy announcement, not an enforcement action imposing a penalty or remedy.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a multistate coalition in filing an amicus brief opposing the U.S. Department of Justice's subpoena for patient records from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center related to gender-affirming care. The brief argues that the subpoena violates patient privacy, infringes on states' rights to regulate medicine, and exceeds DOJ's statutory authority.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief to quash a U.S. DOJ administrative subpoena seeking sensitive medical records and personally identifying information of adolescent patients receiving gender-affirming care at Children's Hospital Colorado. The brief argues the subpoena violates states' rights to regulate medicine under the Tenth Amendment and misinterprets the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which would harm off-label drug use across all medical fields.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 15 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief to limit a U.S. DOJ subpoena seeking medical records of transgender youth from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, arguing it violates patient privacy and could intimidate providers of gender-affirming care.
$518K
The Minnesota Attorney General obtained a judgment against Ryan David Pietron and Affordable Home Remodeling, LLC, for deceiving homeowners, taking payment for renovation work that was not performed, and misrepresenting Pietron’s contractor licensing status. The judgment permanently bars them from Minnesota’s residential construction industry and orders restitution, civil penalties, and costs totaling $1,069,000.