Federal judge rules in AG Jeff Jackson’s favor in case demanding SNAP funding
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Federal judge orders USDA to report whether it will authorize SNAP funding.
- Jackson and other state AGs sued, alleging USDA unlawfully withheld emergency SNAP funds.
- Separate Rhode Island ruling compels USDA to use emergency money, averting lapse.
A federal judge on Friday ruled against the Trump administration’s withholding of food stamp benefits in a case brought in part by North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson.
The lawsuit, which was filed jointly by several Democratic attorneys general, accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture of breaking the law by refusing to use emergency funds to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, running amid the ongoing government shutdown.
A judge in Massachusetts partially agreed with Jackson and the other plaintiffs, issuing an order directing the Trump administration to report whether it will authorize some SNAP funding by Monday.
Jackson celebrated the ruling on social media, writing, “We’re not finished, but this is a major step toward making sure 16 million kids don’t go hungry.”
At roughly the same time, a federal judge in Rhode Island overseeing a separate case issued a more sweeping ruling in SNAP’s defense, ordering USDA to use emergency money to fund the program.
Friday’s rulings could avoid a chaotic lapse in funding for food stamps, which were set to run out next month.
When he announced his lawsuit earlier this week, Jackson accused USDA of playing “shutdown politics” and trying to “ratchet up the pain” as congressional leaders fail to reach a spending deal.
USDA has argued that the emergency funds cannot be used to replace missing funding, and a banner on its website says Senate Democrats voted not to fund food stamps.
“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA message read.
This story was originally published October 31, 2025 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Federal judge rules in AG Jeff Jackson’s favor in case demanding SNAP funding."
