A federal judge in Rhode Island has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing new restrictions on federal domestic violence grants that bar funding for programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or transgender rights.
U.S. District Judge William Smith ruled Friday that the conditions imposed in May by the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women were likely “arbitrary” and in violation of federal law. The decision came in response to a lawsuit filed in June by 17 advocacy groups, who argued the changes threatened vital services for survivors.
“If the Court does not grant preliminary relief … this could result in the disruption of important and, in some cases, lifesaving services to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence,” wrote Smith, a Republican appointee of former President George W. Bush.
The blocked policy expanded the agency’s list of “out-of-scope activities” to exclude funding for research and programs supporting DEI initiatives, “gender ideology,” or activities deemed to violate federal immigration law.
Democracy Forward, one of the legal groups representing the plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling. “The Justice Department should be exploring what they can be doing to keep people and communities safe, not threatening funding for local and community organizations with proven results,” said the group’s president, Skye Perryman.
The Office on Violence Against Women was created under the 1994 Violence Against Women Act to fund programs addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and related crimes. The case will proceed while the injunction remains in place, potentially for months or longer.
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