Today, a federal judge in Rhode Island entered an order preliminarily blocking the sweeping and unlawful restrictions the Trump-Vance administration imposed on federal grants administered by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This decision, which follows an earlier granting of a temporary restraining order, safeguards critical services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, LGBTQI+ youth, and unhoused communities.
The lawsuit, Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence v. Kennedy, was filed on July 21, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. It is backed by a coalition of domestic violence, sexual assault, housing, youth, and homelessness organizations, seeking to block new federal grant conditions targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, abortion, and transgender rights.
Created and authorized by Congress, grants from the affected programs — such as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and the Violence Against Women Act — have long provided critical support to organizations that serve survivors, families, youth, and people experiencing homelessness. Through politically motivated funding conditions, the suit argues, the Trump administration is undermining Congress’s clear intent, threatening the effectiveness of these programs, and jeopardizing services that vulnerable communities across the country depend on.
In finding that the challenged conditions were arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act, the Court noted:
“Based on the record, it is impossible for this Court to find that the Defendants considered the harmful impact their decision would have on the Coalitions and the vulnerable populations they serve. At a bare minimum, in order for the agency’s path to reasonably be discerned, the agency must actually provide some sort of explanation. To date, the Defendants have failed to achieve even this basic requirement.” (citations and quotation marks omitted)
The Court also found that some of the conditions likely violated the First Amendment:
“Because the Challenged Conditions impose a viewpoint-based condition on the receipt of public funding and require the affirmation of beliefs that by their nature cannot be confined within the scope of the Government program, they likely violate the First Amendment.” (citations and quotation marks omitted)
Plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward, Jacobson Lawyers Group, National Women’s Law Center, Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island, and the ACLU Foundation of Rhode Island.
The plaintiffs in the case issued the following joint statement:
“We welcome the court’s recognition that the government cannot weaponize funding authority to silence, exclude, or punish inclusive service providers. This decision ensures that vital programs grounded in equity and compassion can continue uninterrupted. Domestic and sexual violence survivors, LGBTQI+ youth, and unhoused individuals deserve dignity and access to support without restrictions—it’s a relief and a win that gives us breathing room to continue this vital work.”
The coalition of plaintiffs in the case includes Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, California Partnership To End Domestic Violence, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, District Of Columbia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Idaho Coalition Against Sexual And Domestic Violence, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Jane Doe Inc. (the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault And Domestic Violence), Kansas Coalition Against Sexual And Domestic Violence, Montana Coalition Against Domestic And Sexual Violence, North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Oregon Coalition Against Domestic And Sexual Violence, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, ValorUS, Violence Free Minnesota, Virginia Sexual And Domestic Violence Action Alliance, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, House of Hope Community Development Corporation, Community Care Alliance, Foster Forward, Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, and Haus of Codec.
Read the decision here, and find more case documents and previous press releases here.
