Trump DOJ 'lawfare' fund temporarily blocked by judge as suit proceeds

US President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, DC.Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty ImagesA federal judge in Virginia on Friday temporarily blocked the Department of Justice from taking any further action to create, fund, or spend money from its so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund as a lawsuit challenging it proceeds.The DOJ said earlier this month that it was creating the $1.8 billion fund as part of a settlement of a $10 billion lawsuit by President Donald Trump against the Internal Revenue Service for the leak of his tax records by an IRS employee.The fund is meant to compensate people who allege they were the victims of prosecutorial overreach by the DOJ under the Biden administration. Critics have called it a "slush fund" for Trump allies, including people who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.Judge Leonie Brinkema, in her order on Friday, enjoined the DOJ from "taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which includes the transferring of money to the Fund; the consideration of any claims submitted to the Fund; and the disbursing of any funds from the Fund."The order came a day after plaintiffs in the case in U.S. District Court in Alexandria asked Brinkema for a temporary restraining order against the fund, or to issue a preliminary injunction against it and set a schedule for expedited legal briefing on whether the fund should be allowed to operate as the lawsuit against it proceeds.Brinkema, in choosing the second option, told the Trump administration to file their opposition to the plaintiffs' request by June 5. She set a hearing on the question of whether to maintain a block on the fund for June 12.The suit is one of three federal cases challenging the DOJ's fund.This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

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