Appeals Court Rejects WH Bid to Block Release of Full SNAP Funding
The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision, prolonging the tug-of-war over the nation’s largest public initiative to combat hunger. Tens of millions of Americans are at risk of food insecurity as winter nears.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Friday temporarily blocked the district court order until the 1st Circuit issued its ruling. The Supreme Court’s administrative stay will expire 48 hours after the 1st Circuit’s ruling.
On Monday morning, Jackson issued an order directing the Trump administration to tell the Supreme Court by 11 a.m. whether it plans to continue trying to pause the lower court rulings. If it does intend to seek a stay, Jackson wrote, the Trump administration must submit its filing in the case by 4 p.m. Monday. She also told plaintiffs in the case pushing to release SNAP benefits — a group that includes several cities and nonprofits — to respond by 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The 1st Circuit court’s Sunday night ruling is the latest in a legal battle that has played out for weeks involving SNAP, a program relied on by 42 million Americans. The government shutdown has thrown funding for the program in limbo even as various lawsuits play out. (The Senate on Sunday voted to take the first step toward reopening the government, though the process could take several days. The House would also need to pass any measure.)”
Read more at Washington Post.