Filed Date: March 30, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
This case challenges the Department of Energy’s alleged practice of terminating clean-energy grants based on the political preference of the states in which grant recipients were located.
On March 30, 2026, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Proton Energy Systems, Inc., RCAM Technologies, Inc., and Karpman Consulting LLC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Department of Energy (DOE), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and officials of those agencies in their official capacities. Represented by private counsel, Plaintiffs alleged that Defendants violated their equal protection rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment by terminating 314 DOE grants worth approximately $65.2 million because recipients were located in states that voted for Democratic candidates in the 2024 presidential election. Plaintiffs sought declaratory and injunctive relief vacating the grant terminations and restoring the awards, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. The case was assigned to District Judge Amit P. Mehta.
Plaintiffs were recipients of grants awarded prior to January 2025 through DOE programs. They alleged that DOE terminated their awards as part of a broader October 2025 tranche of grant terminations that disproportionately affected entities in states that voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election and whose senators caucused with the Democratic Party. Plaintiffs alleged that similarly situated grant recipients located in states that voted for President Donald Trump retained their awards. The complaint asserted a single claim under their equal protection rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment.
Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on April 16, 2026, adding Earth Advantage, Native Sun Community Power Development, Inc., and New Buildings Institute, Inc. as plaintiffs and expanded the challenge to include additional DOE grant terminations.
On June 10, 2026, the parties filed a proposed stipulated judgment. Defendants agreed, solely for purposes of this litigation, not to contest that the eleven awards at issue were comparable to awards retained outside “Blue States” and that a primary reason the awards were selected for termination was that the grantees were located in “Blue States.” The parties further agreed that, if the court applied its reasoning in City of Saint Paul v. Wright, 2026 WL 88193, the termination notices should be vacated. Plaintiffs agreed to forgo attorneys’ fees and costs if the proposed stipulated judgment were entered. The proposed judgment would vacate the October 25 termination notices for the eleven awards at issue and enter judgment in plaintiffs’ favor.
As of June 2026, the proposed stipulated judgment remained pending before the court and the case remained ongoing.
Summary Authors
Niam Vora (6/10/2026)
Jinan Abufarha (4/12/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73110111/parties/american-institute-of-chemical-engineers-v-wright/
Mehta, Amit Priyavadan (District of Columbia)
Jacobson, Daniel F. (District of Columbia)
Robinson, John (District of Columbia)
Wirth, Stephen K. (District of Columbia)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73110111/american-institute-of-chemical-engineers-v-wright/
Last updated June 29, 2026, 3:16 a.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Public Benefits/Government Services
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 30, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Nonprofit organizations, consulting firms, and clean-energy companies challenging the termination of Department of Energy grants allegedly based on the political preferences of the states in which grant recipients were located.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Closely-held (for profit) corporation
Non-profit NON-religious organization
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Federal
Office of Management and Budget
United States Department of Energy
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Ex parte Young (federal or state officials)
Constitutional Clause(s):
Other Dockets:
District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-01063
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Discrimination Area:
Environmental Justice and Resources:
Case Summary of American Institute of Chemical Engineers v. Wright, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/48080/ (last updated 4/12/2026).