Trump administration illegally blocked clean energy grants, court rules

A federal judge found the Trump administration acted illegally when it cancelled about US$7.6 billion in clean energy grants for projects in 16 states, ruling the decisions violated equal protection; the Energy Department says it disagrees and defended its review process.

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it cancelled about US$7.6 billion in clean energy grants. The grants supported projects across 16 states that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. The judge said officials made cancellation decisions based on awardees' states and that those actions violated the Constitution's equal protection requirements. The Energy Department said it disagrees with the decision and that it reviewed awards as not meeting standards for continued spending. Key facts: - The court found the administration cancelled roughly US$7.6 billion in grants for clean energy projects in 16 states. - The judge wrote that defendants admitted making grant-termination decisions based on the state where awardees were located, and said that rationale did not satisfy equal protection requirements. - The Energy Department said it stands by its review process and disagrees with the court's ruling. Summary: The ruling is a legal finding that the cancellations violated equal protection and represents a judicial setback for the administration's rollback of these awards. Undetermined at this time.