U.S. District Judge Mary S. McElroy has again drawn national attention after issuing an injunction that halts the Trump administration’s decision to freeze certain federal grants. This marks at least the second time she’s ruled against similar efforts from the former president.
In her most recent ruling on Tuesday, Judge McElroy sided with environmental organizations who challenged the administration’s suspension of grants designated for initiatives aimed at addressing climate change, reducing pollution, and updating infrastructure. The plaintiffs argued that the move was unlawful.
McElroy agreed, stating in her ruling:
“Agencies do not have unlimited authority to further a President’s agenda, nor do they have unfettered power to hamstring in perpetuity two statutes passed by Congress during the previous administration.”
Trump administration officials have argued that they possess the authority to pause or reallocate awarded grants if deemed necessary, asserting that Judge McElroy lacked the jurisdiction to intervene. The Justice Department further claimed that its legal standing had been reinforced by a Supreme Court decision that allowed the administration to withdraw funding from teacher training programs tied to diversity and equity initiatives.
This case is not the first time McElroy has stepped in to block efforts to halt federal grant distribution. Earlier in April, she granted a request from Rhode Island’s Democratic state leaders to stop the administration from cutting off funding to state-level health programs. That freeze involved more than $11 billion in grants.
During that hearing, McElroy warned of the potential fallout from the administration’s actions:
“The harm to the plaintiff states and the plaintiff agencies if we cease that … is clearly irreparable.”
Beyond her judicial role, McElroy’s political past has drawn scrutiny from critics who point to her longtime involvement with Democratic causes. Her political activism dates back to high school, when she supported Julius V. Michaelson’s 1982 Senate campaign. She also worked as a page for Rhode Island’s delegation at the 1984 Democratic National Convention, volunteered on James E. O’Neil’s attorney general campaign, and was active in the state Democratic Party between 1984 and 1986.
In a questionnaire submitted to the Senate, McElroy noted:
“I participated in efforts to encourage young people to register to vote and to become involved in the political process and support the electoral efforts of Democrat candidates.”
Originally nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in 2015, her nomination expired without confirmation. President Trump re-nominated her in April 2018, and she was later confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
In response to concerns about what some lawmakers call “judicial overreach,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Judicial Insurrectionists Act of 2025. The proposed legislation would establish a three-judge panel system to quickly evaluate injunctions or declaratory judgments that target executive branch decisions.
Sen. Lee, who voted against McElroy’s confirmation in 2019, voiced his concerns in a statement:
“America’s government cannot function if the legitimate orders of our Commander in Chief can be overridden at the whim of a single district court judge. They have presumed to run the military, the civil service, foreign aid, and HR departments across the Executive Branch—blatantly unconstitutional overreach.”
He added:
“This legislation will create a judicial panel to expedite Supreme Court review of these blanket injunctions, preventing unelected radicals in robes from sabotaging the separation of powers.”