From the New York Times: A federal judge on Friday vastly expanded the scope of an order blocking the Trump administration from pulling federal funding for cities across the country over their policies that limit local law enforcement participation in immigration enforcement.
The order prohibited President Trump from denying funding to more than additional 30 cities and counties in far-flung corners of the country, including Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, Baltimore, Chicago and Columbus. The issue was their status as so-called sanctuary cities, with local laws that limit assistance to federal immigration agents.
It followed a previous order Judge William H. Orrick of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California issued in April, barring the government from withholding the funding to 16 other cities and counties. The original set was heavily concentrated in California but also included several larger cities such as Seattle, Portland and Minneapolis.
Judge Orrick wrote on Friday that the government had not objected to the motion by the coalition of local governments that brought the lawsuit to widen its reach. He noted that the government had only disputed the legal reasoning of the original decision and was in the process of appealing it.
ABOUT THIS JUDGE: Judge William Orrick, 71, is the U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California. He was nominated by Barack Obama in 2012, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in May 2013 in a 56-41 vote.
In April, Rod Martin, founder and CEO of Martin Capital, posted a stunning thread on X about Judge Orrick. He wrote:
The judge who blocked Trump’s sanctuary city order has DEEP Democratic ties that’ll make your jaw drop. This is a perfect example of our corrupted judiciary. Let me break it down for you…
1/ Judge William Orrick isn’t just any Obama appointee. He’s donated a STAGGERING $113,600 to Democratic candidates and committees. But wait, it gets worse…
2/ Here’s the kicker: Orrick gave $30,800 to Obama’s Victory Fund in 2008 alone. He raised another $200,000 for Obama on top of that!
He didn’t just support Obama – he bundled for him. He’s a lifelong activist. And he didn’t stop when he got on the bench.🤔
3/ But the money trail doesn’t stop there. Orrick has been padding Democratic pockets for years:
– Hillary Clinton
– Bill Clinton
– Diane Feinstein
– DNC: $53,500
And that’s just the start…
4/ Let’s talk about his ACTIVISM. Orrick wasn’t content just writing checks. He:
– Co-chaired “Lawyers for Kerry”
– Led “Lawyers for Obama”
– Introduced Kamala Harris at fundraisers
This is not an impartial man.
Fox & Friends also slammed Judge Orrick back in 2017 for blocking President Trump’s crackdown on sanctuary cities.
Who is Judge William Orrick? Quick facts on the judge who blocked Trump’s crackdown on sanctuary cities pic.twitter.com/PMvUcWHGuw
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) November 21, 2017
In April of this year, Breitbart pointed out that “William H. Orrick III previously sanctioned lawyers representing David Daleiden, who exposed Planned Parenthood’s organ harvesting practices, and was blasted for not recusing himself from the case despite an alleged financial interest.”
BREAKING: Obama-appointed judge just stopped Trump from stripping funds from sanctuary cities
William H. Orrick III previously sanctioned lawyers representing David Daleiden, who exposed Planned Parenthood’s organ harvesting practices, and was blasted for not recusing himself… pic.twitter.com/iJtsYQSx8I
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) April 24, 2025
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