Federal judge blocks DOJ’s $1.776 billion ‘anti-weaponization’ fund A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Justice Department’s $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” which aims to compensate individuals who claim they were politically targeted. The fund, announced as an effort to “make right the wrongs that were previously done,” has faced criticism and multiple lawsuits from Democrats and some Republicans. A hearing is scheduled for June 12 to determine the fund’s future.

• A federal judge issued a temporary halt on the Justice Department’s $1.776 billion ‘anti-weaponization fund’.
• The fund was intended to compensate individuals who claim they were politically targeted by the DOJ.
• U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered the halt pending a hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
• The DOJ is barred from taking any actions regarding the fund’s creation, operation, claim consideration, or disbursement of funds.
• The fund faced pushback from Democrats and some Republican senators, and has been the subject of multiple lawsuits.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom called the fund a ‘January 6 slush fund’.