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A US judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Justice Department from “taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation” of a $1.778 billion “Anti-Arms Fund.”
The Trump administration said last week that the fund will compensate Americans who are unfairly targeted by politicized federal investigations on a “case-by-case basis.”
Friday's order by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema comes in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of plaintiffs that includes a former career prosecutor who alleges he was fired for his handling of the Jan. 6 cases. The plaintiffs file suit to block payment from the fund.
The order, which lists the Department of Justice as a defendant, states that the DOJ is blocked “from taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Gun Fund, including the transfer of money to the Fund; the consideration of any claims submitted to the Fund; and the disbursement of any funds from the Fund.”
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REJECTS 'SLUSH FUND' ATTACKS ON ANTI-GUN FUND AND EXPLAINS WHO QUALIFIES
President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 15, 2026. (Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images)
The judge also set a hearing for June 12 in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
A Justice Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday that “the Department remains very confident in the legality of the Anti-Arms Fund, which is supported by extensive precedents, including Obama-era agreements.”
“We will not allow the political preferences of judges to interfere with our efforts to provide restitution to lawfare victims,” the spokesperson added.
Plaintiffs challenging the fund include former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Floyd, an Alexandria resident who prosecuted Capitol riot cases in Washington, D.C., before being fired last year by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Floyd was deputy chief of the Capitol Siege Section of the Department of Justice. He said he believes his firing was retaliation for his work on Jan. 6, according to The Associated Press.
Another plaintiff is California State University Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello, who was acquitted of an assault charge. He was accused of throwing a canister of tear gas at federal agents during a 2025 protest against an immigration raid on a Camarillo, California, cannabis farm.
Also named as plaintiffs are government watchdog Common Cause, the city of New Haven, Connecticut, and the National Abortion Federation, an association of abortion providers.
New Haven claims that Trump administration officials have targeted it and other municipalities they perceive as “sanctuary” cities. The federation said it fears the fund will issue payments to people who have attacked abortion clinics, providing an incentive for more violence against its members, the AP also reported.
NEWSOM WANTS TO RECOVER CASH FROM TRUMP FUND WHILE CALIFORNIA BURNS BILLION ON RAILROAD AND OTHER 'BOONDOGGLES'
An image shows the Department of Justice building with an overlay of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
The Anti-Arms Fund was born from an agreement between President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. Trump filed the lawsuit against the IRS in January for unauthorized disclosure of his tax records.
The claims will be determined by a five-person board appointed by the attorney general, and at least one member will be selected to consult with congressional leaders, according to a Justice Department news release. At any time, the president has the power to remove a member without cause, he added.
“This is about seeking accountability for all Americans who were victims of the law and of gun use: millions of Americans whose online speech was censored at the behest of the government, parents silenced on school boards, senators whose records were subpoenaed, churchgoers targeted by the FBI, and so on,” a Justice Department document states.
The Anti-Arms Fund was scheduled to last until December 1, 2028.
A banner with an image of President Donald Trump is displayed on the facade of the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 20, 2026. (Drew Angerer/AFP/Getty Images)
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Funds for the Anti-Arms Fund come from the Judgment Fund, which is a permanent Treasury account used to pay settlements and claims against the government.
Fox News' Elaine Mallon, Kerri Urbahn and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
