Overview
- Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an emergency administrative stay that temporarily blocks enforcement of the lower-court mandate to resume SNAP payouts.
- The stay freezes District Judge John McConnell’s directive to tap emergency funds for immediate benefits, which he said were essential to prevent hunger risks for millions of children.
- The decision permits the government to hold back about $4 billion in November disbursements that support roughly 42 million low-income recipients.
- The Justice Department is appealing, arguing the executive lacks legal authority to reallocate emergency funds to social programs and asserting such funds are limited to national defense.
- The dispute unfolds during a shutdown that began October 1 after Congress failed to pass a budget, with some Democratic-led states moving to cover limited aid on their own.