Overview

• U.S. District Judge William E. Smith in Rhode Island granted summary judgment to 20 states and the District of Columbia and issued a permanent injunction blocking DHS’s grant conditions.
• He concluded the requirements were arbitrary and capricious, coercive, ambiguous, and unrelated to the statutory purposes of disaster and preparedness grants.
• DHS contended the terms advanced national security and terrorism prevention, but the court rejected those justifications and noted the policy was never formally rescinded.
• Smith found the states would face irreparable harm if funds were withheld, jeopardizing disaster response and public safety budgets that cannot be backfilled.
• The administration is expected to appeal, and the ruling flagged uncertainty from recent Supreme Court emergency orders that could affect the litigation’s path.