Federal judge blocks Trump administration from penalizing Maryland, other states over SNAP benefits

The judge struck down a deadline that could have left states facing hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties. The ruling also blocks guidance that restricted SNAP benefits for some lawful permanent residents.

The Oregon judge’s ruling makes permanent a preliminary injunction issued in December 2025.

The judge struck down a deadline that could have left states facing hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties. The ruling also blocks guidance that restricted SNAP benefits for some lawful permanent residents.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and 21 other attorneys general sued the Trump administration over the changes in November 2025.

At the time, the administration was moving to cut off SNAP benefits for tens of thousands of lawful permanent residents while also imposing a retroactive deadline on states.

The administration later reversed its position on eligibility for lawful permanent residents. But it continued to argue that states could face fines for missing a “grace period” that had already expired by the time the administration finished issuing its guidance.

The judge found the deadline was unlawful and arbitrary. The court also found that the guidance improperly excluded some lawful permanent residents, including former refugees and people granted asylum, from receiving food assistance they are legally entitled to.

The ruling also found the deadline was unlawful as it applied to other changes to SNAP eligibility calculations under the One Big Bill Act.

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