Federal Judge Rules Trump Unconstitutional for Cancelling Energy Grants in Blue States
WASHINGTON — A federal judge confirmed a major legal setback for the Trump administration on Monday by ruling that its cancellation of clean-energy and environmental grants violated the Constitution’s equal protection guarantee and ordering select awards restored.
The decision from U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta underscores growing judicial scrutiny of federal actions that appear tied to political classifications rather than agency policy goals.
Mehta found that the Department of Energy’s termination of roughly $7.6 billion to $8 billion in clean energy and environmental grants during the October 2025 government shutdown was unlawful because it targeted projects in states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election while sparing similar projects in states that supported Donald Trump, a distinction with no rational link to the agency’s stated mission.
The case was brought by the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, and environmental and energy advocacy groups after they lost seven specific awards. The judge agreed their Fifth Amendment right to equal protection had been violated, vacating the termination notices for those seven grants totaling about $27–$28 million and directing they be reinstated.
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Mehta rejected claims the terminations were justified under a legitimate federal interest, noting the administration provided no plausible connection between political classification and advancing DOE’s energy priorities. DOE had argued it assessed funding based on project merit; the agency acknowledged differences based on state voting patterns but defended its review process.
“Defendants freely admit that they made grant-termination decisions primarily, if not exclusively based on whether the awardee resided in a state whose citizens voted for President Trump in 2024,” Mehta wrote.
The judge dismissed First Amendment claims but upheld the equal protection claim, a narrower basis for holding the actions unconstitutional.
Legal experts say the ruling limits the ability of federal agencies to use political criteria in funding decisions. The Energy Department says it stands by its review process and may appeal. A Joint Status Report on further injunctive relief and briefing schedules is due by January 16, 2026.
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