Federal judge grants preliminary injunction protecting Hennepin County funding in latest blow to Trump administration

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Monday in Seattle v. Trump, barring the Trump administration from enforcing unlawful federal funding conditions related to DEI and gender identity against grantees.

Hennepin County’s 2026 budget includes $274 million in federal funds. This injunction will protect funds from a number of federal agencies. For example, it will protect $2 million in Department of Justice grants used by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office to process DNA samples, and $20 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants to support WIC nutrition for mothers and babies and school lunch at the juvenile detention center.

The Administration has attached new terms and conditions to many funding streams in an effort to further its policy goals. Often the terms are totally unrelated to the purpose of the funding.

Hennepin County is one of several plaintiffs in the lawsuit, along with the following cities and counties:

City of Seattle
City of Columbus
City of Cleveland
City of Durham
City of Portland
Prince George’s County
Ramsey County

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Civil Division represented the County in this lawsuit.

“This is another victory against an administration intent on attaching unlawful conditions that are inconsistent with local values. With this preliminary injunction in place, Hennepin County will continue to receive the federal funds that serve our residents.” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “Our Civil Division staff played an important role and I congratulate them on this incredibly important result.”

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