Federal judge rules Trump administration cannot put conditions on
domestic violence grants
[October 11, 2025]
By MICHAEL CASEY
A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration cannot put
conditions on grants that fund efforts to combat domestic violence,
including barring groups from promoting diversity, equity and inclusion
or providing abortion resources.
U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose in Providence, Rhode Island,
granted a motion by 17 statewide anti-domestic and sexual violence
coalitions for a preliminary injunction, which blocks the Trump
administration from enforcing its conditions while the lawsuit plays
out.
“Without preliminary relief, the Plaintiffs will face irreparable harm
that will disrupt vital services to victims of homelessness and domestic
and sexual violence,” DuBose wrote in her ruling. “On the contrary, if
preliminary relief is granted, the Defendants will merely need to revert
back to considering grant applications and awarding funds as they
normally would.”
DuBose, however, went further in the scope of her ruling. She ruled that
the decision preventing these grant conditions went beyond plaintiffs
and will apply to anyone applying for money doled out by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
“Organizations serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual
assault, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing homelessness should not
be forced to abandon their work, erase the identities of those they
serve, or compromise their values just to keep their doors open,” Skye
Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which was one of the
groups representing plaintiffs, said in a statement. “This unlawful and
harmful policy puts extreme schemes ahead of people’s dignity and safety
by restricting essential federal support.”
Emily Martin, chief program officer at the National Women’s Law Center,
one of five organizations representing the coalitions, also welcomed the
ruling.
“When this administration claims to be targeting ‘illegal DEI’ and
‘gender ideology,’ what it is really trying to do is strip life-saving
services from survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence, LGBTQ+
youth, and people without homes,” Martin said. “Today’s order makes
clear that these federal grants exist to serve people in need, not to
advance a regressive political agenda.”
Neither HUD nor HHS responded to a request for comment.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White
House, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In their July lawsuit, the groups said the Trump administration was
putting them in a difficult position.
If they don’t apply for federal money allocated under the Violence
Against Women Act of 1994, they might not be able to provide rape
crisis centers, battered women’s shelters and other programs to
support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. But if the
groups do apply, they said they would be forced to “fundamentally
change their programming, abandon outreach methods and programs
designed to best serve their communities, and risk exposing
themselves to ruinous liability.”
The groups suing, including organizations combating domestic
violence from California to Rhode Island, argue the conditions
violate the First Amendment. They also argue that the conditions
violate the Administrative Procedure Act by exceeding defendants’
authority by “in some cases outright conflicting with governing law
or failing to follow required procedure."
The government argues that the matter has to do with payments to
these groups and, as such, should be handled by the Court of Federal
Claims.
Even if the jurisdiction argument fails, the government argues
federal agencies may impose conditions on funding that “further
certain policies and priorities consistent with the authority
provided by grant program statutes.”
“Both agencies have long required compliance with federal
antidiscrimination law as a condition of receiving a federal grant,”
the government wrote in court documents.
Another Rhode Island judge granted a preliminary injunction in
August involving some of the same groups in a lawsuit against the
Justice Department.
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