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DC District Court
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Organisation

DC District Court

Federal trial court for Washington DC, where many challenges to federal agency action are filed.

The federal trial court in Washington has become the first stop for challenges to The Administration's election policy; on 28 September 2026 its Judge Amir Ali voided FEMA's grant conditions on voting, and on 30 September a watchdog sued Homeland Security there.

Last refreshed: 1 October 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics

Key Question

Which parts of Trump's mail ballot order did the DC federal court block?

Timeline for DC District Court

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Background

The US District Court for the District of Columbia is the federal trial court for Washington. Because most federal agencies are based in the capital, suits against them are often filed here, and its judges frequently give the first ruling on contested executive action. Its appeals go to the D.C. Circuit.

In 2026 that role put it at the centre of the election fight. In April it was among three federal courts that blocked seven of the eight provisions of the 31 March voting executive order. On 22 June Judge Sparkle Sooknanan set aside Homeland Security's modified SAVE citizenship database, a ruling the Supreme Court stayed on 25 September.

On 28 September Judge Ali struck down FEMA's requirement that states use that database, hand-audit ballots and move away from voting machines or lose a fifth of their counterterrorism grants. Two days later American Oversight brought a freedom-of-information case in the same court, seeking the data Homeland Security used for its July figure on non-citizen registrations.

Common Questions
Which court blocked Trump's mail ballot executive order?
Three federal courts, the DC District Court, the District of Massachusetts and a court in Washington State, blocked seven provisions of the 31 March 2026 voting executive order. Only Section 2b, the DHS and DOGE review of state voter files, went ahead.Source: Lowdown coverage, April 2026
Which court blocked the expanded SAVE citizenship database?
The US District Court for the District of Columbia set aside DHS's modified SAVE System on 22 June 2026, in case No. 25-cv-3501. the Supreme Court stayed that order by 6-3 on 25 September 2026 while the appeal runs.Source: Supreme Court of the United States, No. 26A308
Why did a judge strike down FEMA's election conditions on grants?
On 28 September 2026 Judge Amir Ali held that the grant statute lets FEMA fund projects states propose, but does not let it use grants to push states into the federal government's preferred election projects. The conditions would have cost states 20% of their allocation.Source: US District Court for the District of Columbia
Who is the chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia?
James E. Boasberg, according to the Court's website as of 1 October 2026.Source: https://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/
Source Material
US District Court for the District of Columbia

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 1 October 2026. Editorial standards.