A federal judge has temporarily halted the creation of President Donald Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to prevent it from making payouts before the court can hear arguments in the case next week.

The case was brought by a group including Andrew Floyd, a former federal prosecutor who said he was fired for his work on cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. It’s one of several lawsuits to stop the $1.8 billion fund.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema for the the Eastern District of Virginia enjoined the Trump administration “from taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund,” including transferring money, considering claims or making payments.

The Trump administration announced the fund last week as a “settlement” of a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against his own administration. Administration officials have said Jan. 6 rioters would be eligible for payments from the fund, prompting outrage from Democrats and Republicans alike.

“By its own terms, the Anti-Weaponization Fund is available only to claimants who assert that they were targeted by ‘Democrat’ administrations, even though the current administration has weaponized the awesome power of the federal government against its perceived political opponents like no other administration before it,” the plaintiffs said in their complaint last week.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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