In a decisive 24‑page opinion, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington, D.C., rejected the Trump administration’s effort to condition federal counterterrorism grants on compliance with election‑administration requirements. The ruling protects states’ traditional authority over how elections are run.
Background
The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a summer grant program offering more than $1 billion to states, localities and tribal governments for projects that prevent terrorism and cyber‑attacks. The agency added a list of election‑related conditions, stating that 20% of each grant could be withheld until jurisdictions verified voter citizenship, audited results, and, for jurisdictions using electronic voting with barcodes or QR codes, submitted plans to switch to hand‑marked paper ballots.
Legal challenge
Columbus, Ohio; Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; and El Paso and Harris counties in Texas sued, arguing FEMA lacks statutory and constitutional authority to impose such conditions. The plaintiffs noted that Congress authorized FEMA to protect critical infrastructure, not to dictate voter eligibility or ballot‑counting methods.
Judge Ali agreed, writing that the conditions do not relate to the underlying grant purpose and exceed the agency’s congressional authority. He emphasized that “never before has FEMA purported to regulate how states and counties run elections.”
Administration response
The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA did not immediately comment on the ruling. The decision comes as the Trump administration continues to pursue policies aimed at tightening election administration ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Implications
The ruling reinforces the long‑standing principle that election administration is a state responsibility, limiting federal attempts to use funding as leverage. It also signals that future attempts to attach election conditions to unrelated federal grants may face similar judicial scrutiny.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
