A U.S. judge has blocked Trump administration plans to scrap the FBI headquarters’ move to Maryland.
Judge Theodore Chuang of the District Court in Maryland penned the 47-page ruling and declared that “the F.B.I. erroneously concluded” that it could select a new headquarters for itself without consulting Congress.
The ruling caps a yearlong legal saga over where to relocate the F.B.I.’s main headquarters building.
During the Biden era, a Greenbelt, Maryland was identified in 2023 but Trump picked Kash Patel, who had challenged the decision last year, pushing a move to repurpose the Ronald Reagan Building.
The centre in question is just a few blocks away from where the main F.B.I. building currently housed.
The state attorney general sued the decision after Patel announced plans of relocating to the Ronald Reagan Building.
The centre had been home to the U.S.AID until the Trump administration merged it into the State Department.
Maryland attorney general Anthony Brown remarked on the ruling, saying, “Congress told the federal government to select between A, B, and C, yet the Trump administration chose D. We couldn’t let that stand.”
“(Monday), the court blocked the Trump administration from putting the FBI headquarters at the Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., clearing the path back to Greenbelt,” Brown added.
Separately, Maryland Governor Wes Moore hailed the ruling and said, “I am proud of this coalition for standing together and refusing to let this administration play political games with the safety of our nation or the future of our state.”
On the other hand, the F.B.I. released a statement; it reads, “This is not the first time courts have tried to undermine the administration in its goal to make government more cost-effective for American taxpayers.”
“The FBI is mission focused and will continue the best course of action to meet the needs of law enforcement,” it added.
2026-08-18 12:34:00
