The Trump administration is no longer under court order to pay $2 billion in foreign aid.
Chief Justice John Roberts responded to an emergency filing by the Trump administration requesting the order, which was previously handed down by U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, an appointee of former president Joe Biden.
Roberts’ order put a stay on the lower court’s ruling.
IT IS ORDERED that the February 25, 2025 orders of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, case Nos. 1:25-cv-00400and 1:25-cv-00402, are hereby stayed pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court. It is further ordered that any response to the application be filed on or before Friday, February 28, 2025, by 12 p.m. (EST).
In the emergency filing from the Trump administration, the executive branch requested that the high court step in to stop an “arbitrary” deadline.
“The district court’s imminent and arbitrary deadline makes full compliance impossible,” acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris said in the request to the Supreme Court. “The government is undertaking substantial efforts to review payment requests and release payments.”
Roberts’ order requested that responses to the administration’s application be filed by noon on Friday. That should give the justices time to review the case and determine whether or not to step in.
There is currently no set timeline on when the Supreme Court might issue a final ruling on the lower court’s order, or how it will react to the Trump administration’s actions, which are being challenged on multiple fronts and in multiple courts.
