A federal judge has temporarily stopped the 
Donald Trump administration from creating a $1.8bn government fund to compensate people who say they were targeted by political investigations under earlier administrations. Judge Leonie Brinkema barred the justice department from taking any step to stand up or operate the fund — including processing or paying claims — until a preliminary hearing on 12 June, the BBC reported.
Where did the fund come from? The "anti-weaponisation fund," announced by the justice department last week, was part of an agreement with Trump to end his $10bn lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. The memorandum creating it did not spell out who could qualify, though many Trump supporters prosecuted over the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot have said they plan to seek compensation, the BBC reported.
Who challenged it? The Virginia lawsuit was filed by two men who called the fund discriminatory, saying they had themselves been targeted for political retribution but believed they would be shut out of claims. The justice department, which announced the fund last week, said it was "extremely confident" in the scheme's legality and signalled it would defend the programme at the June hearing.
How was it received? The fund drew objections from Democrats and from some Republicans worried it lacked congressional approval and oversight. Senate Republican leader John Thune said he was "not a big fan" and was unclear on how claims would be processed. The two-page order leaves the fund frozen until the court weighs the states' challenge next month.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
