The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) must resume federal education funding for Maine, according to a Friday ruling from George W. Bush-appointed U.S. District Court Judge John Woodcock, granting a request from Maine Attorney General (AG) Aaron Frey.

“This temporary restraining order confirms the Trump Administration did not follow the rule of law when it cut program funds that go to feed school children and vulnerable adults.  This order preserves Maine’s access to certain congressionally appropriated funds by prohibiting an unlawful freeze by the administration.  No one in our constitutional republic is above the law and we will continue to fight to hold this administration to account,” said AG Frey.

Frey filed a complaint against the USDA on April 7, demanding a temporary restraining order against the USDA’s decision to halt some federal education funds while the broader case is adjudicated.

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) lost some of its USDA funding at the start of the month when the agency’s investigation determined that Maine is in violation of Title IX federal anti-discrimination law due to its continued refusal to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order demanding that males not be allowed to compete in girls’ sports.

According to the USDA, the freeze specifically targeted administrative and technological funds, and did not apply to nutrition programs that ensure needy children don’t go hungry. Frey’s lawsuit argued that the funding cuts did impact those programs, despite the department’s claim.

Woodcock, a senior judge in the Maine District Court, granted Frey’s request for a temporary restraining order against the USDA, requiring the department to resume all federal funding programs that had been frozen.

Though the order is temporary, it does not include an expiration date and specifies that it will remain in effect “until further order of the Court.”

The ruling argued that, though the USDA has authority to enforce Title IX compliance, it failed to follow the proper procedure for rescinding federal funds as laid out by Congress. Notably, the ruling only determined that the USDA failed to follow the proper procedure; it made no judgment on whether Maine actually did violate Title IX by allowing men into women’s sports.

As of Friday, federal courts have blocked or partially blocked five of President Trump’s executive orders not including Judge Woodcock’s injunction against the USDA partial funding freeze.