The Supreme Court, sharply divided, on Wednesday turned down a request from the Trump administration to criticize a federal judge who set a swift deadline for the release of billions in foreign aid. In a 5-4 decision, the court instructed U.S. District Judge Amir Ali to clarify his previous order mandating the Republican administration to disburse nearly $2 billion for work that had already been completed.
The Supreme Court, sharply divided, on Wednesday turned down a request from the Trump administration to criticize a federal judge who set a swift deadline for the release of billions in foreign aid.
In a 5-4 decision, the court instructed U.S. District Judge Amir Ali to clarify his previous order mandating the Republican administration to disburse nearly $2 billion for work that had already been completed.
Justice Samuel Alito, leading four conservative justices in dissent, asserted that Ali lacks the authority to mandate the payments. Alito expressed his astonishment that the court is endorsing “an act of judicial hubris.”
The court’s ruling maintains Ali’s temporary restraining order that had halted the spending freeze, and Ali is scheduled to hold a hearing on Thursday to examine a more enduring pause.
The majority indicated that the administration did not contest Ali’s initial order, only the deadline imposed.
The court instructed Ali to “clarify what obligations the government must fulfill to ensure compliance with the temporary restraining order, with due regard for the feasibility of any compliance timelines.”
The administration contended that circumstances have shifted because it has substituted a broader spending freeze with individual assessments, resulting in the cancellation of 5,800 U.S. Agency for International Development contracts and an additional 4,100 State Department grants, totaling nearly $60 billion in aid.
Ali ordered the funding to be temporarily restored on February 13, but roughly two weeks later, he found that the government was showing no signs of compliance and subsequently set a deadline for the release of payment for already completed work.
The administration appealed, labeling Ali’s order as “incredibly intrusive and profoundly erroneous” while contesting the timeline for disbursing the funds.
