Judge Pauses Action on Trump’s $1.8 Billion Fund Amid Suits (1)

A federal judge in Virginia temporarily barred the Trump administration from taking steps to operate the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” while she weighs a longer-term block amid a growing number of legal challenges.

Although the proposed fund is still in an early phase, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema wrote on Friday that she was issuing the order for now “to ensure that no funds are irreversibly disbursed.” The Justice Department hasn’t yet announced the selection of the five-person panel to manage disbursement.

The case in Virginia is one of at least four lawsuits filed objecting to the plan since it ...