A US federal judge accused the Trump administration on Monday of defying a judicial order that required his government to release billions of dollars in federal grants. This came weeks after his initial federal order that blocked President Trump’s intention to freeze federal aid funding, claiming that “the Executive has no legal authority to do so.”

Justice John J. McConnell Jr, chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, issued a new order on Monday, requiring Trump’s administration to comply with the previous order. The order further requires the immediate restoration of federal funding until the court decides on the request for the preliminary injunction.

Supporting the decision, the court cited the evidence that the coalition of twenty-two states who initially brought the suit presented before him. The evidence demonstrated that the federal government has continued to improperly freeze federal funds in ways that are contrary to and violate the plain text of his original temporary restraining order.

Even though Trump’s administration contended that the federal fund freezes are necessary to prevent fraud, the court refused to accept this argument, finding that the freeze is a blanket order that freezes all federal aid. Chief Judge McConnell Jr. added that the government can seek relief from the temporary restraining order by showing the court “a specific instance where they are acting in compliance with this order but otherwise withholding funds due to specific authority.”

According to the US Supreme Court in Maness v. Meyers, the refusing to obey a court order generally risks criminal contempt even if the order is ultimately ruled incorrect.

Justice McConnell was not the first federal judge to halt the Trump administration’s plans. Justice Loren L. Alikhan previously issued an administrative stay on these widespread plans to freeze federal funding to the states.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that they were merely rescinding the memo and not the federal funding freeze and that it would continue to be “rigorously implemented.”