A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore AmeriCorps programs and reinstate hundreds of service workers in more than 20 states, including New Mexico.
The ruling, issued Thursday by U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, temporarily blocks the administration’s attempt to cancel AmeriCorps grants and discharge corps members early.
The decision applies only to the states that sued the administration in April.
The lawsuit, filed by 25 attorneys general and two state governors, argued that the administration’s actions violated federal law.
They made this claim because the federal government cut off nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps-supported programs without proper notice or public input.
Judge Boardman agreed, stating the administration failed to follow legal procedures required by Congress.
As a result, the court ordered the restoration of all AmeriCorps programs that had been terminated in the plaintiff states.
In a statement, New Mexico attorney general Raul Torrez called it a "major victory" for the state and "thousands" of AmeriCorps members who serve New Mexico communities.
The Torrez statement pointed to programs in New Mexico that would be restored, including after school mentoring programs, environmental conservation, and services for at-risk and homeless youth in rural, tribal, and underserved communities.
The Trump administration moved earlier this year to dismantle large portions of the 30-year-old agency, which oversees national service efforts across the country.
AmeriCorps has an annual budget of roughly $1 billion and supports about 200,000 members who serve in areas such as education, disaster recovery, and public health.
The agency had cited a shift in priorities under Trump’s executive order creating the Department of Government Efficiency.
Notices terminating AmeriCorps grants were sent late on a Friday in April.
Those communications informed grantees that awards no longer aligned with agency goals and instructed them to shut down projects immediately.
The federal Department of Justice declined to comment on the ruling.
Adapted from an Associated Press story.