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OAKLAND, Calif. — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today largely affirmed a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from forcing localities to accept unlawful conditions that were placed on federal grants. Although the injunction in the case does not directly cover the City of Oakland, a subsequent injunction in the same case does. Since the injunction covering Oakland relied on the same legal theories, today’s Ninth Circuits ruling will help Oakland to continue to protect tens of millions of dollars of grant funding from the unlawful demands of the executive branch. Today’s ruling keeps the initial injunction in place while the case continues in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Oakland is one of roughly 70 cities, counties, and public agencies working together in King County v. Turner. At issue are new terms the administration attached to grants from the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Health and Human Services that attempted to require recipient cities to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; assist in federal immigration enforcement operations; and adhere to the administration’s positions on “gender ideology,” among other conditions. None of those conditions were authorized by Congress, which holds the constitutional power to decide how federal money is spent.
In August 2025, the district court established a preliminary injunction protecting Oakland and the other plaintiffs from these new conditions, finding the conditions likely violated the separation of powers between the executive branch and Congress and also violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The administration appealed, but that appeal was stayed (put on pause) pending the outcome of a previous appeal of a June 2025 preliminary injunction in the same case. Today’s decision almost entirely leaves the lower court’s June 2025 protection in force.
“The federal injunctions our lawsuit secured have allowed the City of Oakland to continue receiving and spending tens of millions of federal dollars that help serve and support our residents,” said Oakland City Attorney Ryan Richardson. “The federal appeals court has now endorsed the position we have taken all along; the City cannot be forced to choose between its values and the federal funding our residents deserve.”
The monies Oakland has received since the case was initially filed include Continuum of Care funding that pays for supportive housing for unhoused Oakland residents, lead hazard reduction grants, funding to provide supportive services for persons with AIDS, and Community Development Block Grants.
“Congress, not the President, decides how federal dollars are spent, and cities cannot be coerced into surrendering that principle,” Richardson added. “This is an important step, but the fight is not over. My office will keep standing up for Oakland’s values and independence.”
The preliminary injunction does not end the litigation; it preserves the status quo while the courts continue to weigh the merits of the case. Oakland will continue to participate as one of the plaintiffs in this coalition.
