A federal court has ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle four federal agencies, following a lawsuit led by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and joined by 20 other state attorneys general. The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted summary judgment in favor of the coalition, permanently blocking an executive order that would have eliminated the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), and U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH).
“Donald Trump is not a king and he cannot simply ignore laws passed by Congress,” said Attorney General Ellison. “Yet, when Donald Trump tried to dismantle government agencies created by Congress to reduce homelessness, support small businesses, resolve labor disputes, and more, he did exactly that. I am pleased to have won this lawsuit, protected the important work these agencies do, and upheld the rule of law. I don’t wake up every morning looking for reasons to sue Donald Trump, but when he violates the law and harms the people of Minnesota, I will not hesitate to meet him in court and defend our state.”
The initial lawsuit was filed in April after an executive order sought to eliminate three federal agencies. In May, a preliminary injunction was secured halting implementation of that order. The coalition expanded its legal challenge in June to include USICH.
Attorneys general argued that eliminating these agencies would violate both constitutional principles and administrative law by overriding congressional authority. The court agreed with this position in its decision.
States joining Minnesota in this action included Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
