Case: State of Illinois v. Federal Emergency Management Agency
1:26-cv-00485 | U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island
Filed Date: July 23, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
Case Summary
This is a case challenging conditions that the federal government placed on certain state-level emergency-management grants for fiscal year 2026.
On July 23, 2026, twenty-five states and the District of Columbia filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FEMA Senior Official Robert J. Fenton, and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The plaintiffs, represented by state attorneys general and other state government counsel, challenged three categories of conditions that DHS and FEMA had imposed or proposed to impose on fiscal year 2026 emergency-management grants. The election-related conditions required voter-citizenship verification, hand-marked paper ballots, and post-election audits. The immigration-related conditions concerned state participation in federal immigration enforcement; Arizona and North Carolina did not join those claims. The plaintiffs also challenged a final category of provisions allowing FEMA to terminate grants when an award no longer advanced the “national interest.” The plaintiffs brought their claims under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and the Spending Clause, alleging that the conditions exceeded the agencies’ authority, were arbitrary and capricious, and violated the Constitution. They sought declaratory and injunctive relief and vacatur of the challenged conditions. The case was assigned to District Judge Mary Susan McElroy and Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan.
The case followed two related cases in the District of Rhode Island concerning FEMA grant conditions. In State of Illinois v. Federal Emergency Management Agency, the states challenged immigration-related grant requirements, and the court entered judgment for the states and permanently enjoined their enforcement. In State of Illinois v. Noem, the states challenged subsequent changes to FEMA grant funding and related requirements. Judge McElroy granted summary judgment to the states and ordered the government to restore the affected funding and remove the challenged conditions; the First Circuit dismissed the government’s appeal on May 7, 2026.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Lauren LaLonde (9/8/2026)
People
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73660264/parties/state-of-illinois-v-federal-emergency-management-agency/
Arslanian, Vanessa A. (Rhode Island)
Basbaum, Jesse P. (Rhode Island)
Belisle, John Edward (Rhode Island)
Bies, Katherine (Rhode Island)
Boyer, Jacob (Rhode Island)
Arslanian, Vanessa A. (Rhode Island)
Basbaum, Jesse P. (Rhode Island)
Belisle, John Edward (Rhode Island)
Bies, Katherine (Rhode Island)
Brewer, Robert Newman (Rhode Island)
Canney, Julia S. (Rhode Island)
Castelli, Thomas H. (Rhode Island)
Crawford, Hayleigh S (Rhode Island)
Duraiswamy, Shankar (Rhode Island)
Ehrlich, Lisa Catherine (Rhode Island)
Fernandes, Kalikoonalani Diara (Rhode Island)
Giovanatti, Neil (Rhode Island)
Hill, Nicole Suzanne (Rhode Island)
Kassab, Vanessa L. (Rhode Island)
Meosky, Paul Timothy (Rhode Island)
Moskowitz, David (Rhode Island)
Mosteller, Daniel Paul (Rhode Island)
Muqaddam, Rabia (Rhode Island)
Roberts, Tyler S. (Rhode Island)
Sabatini, Kathryn M. (Rhode Island)
Stanley, James Edward (Rhode Island)
Thompson, Stephen (Rhode Island)
Thompson, Julio A (Rhode Island)
Thrift-Viveros, Deylin O (Rhode Island)
Tresnowski, Michael M. (Rhode Island)
Documents in the Clearinghouse
Docket
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73660264/state-of-illinois-v-federal-emergency-management-agency/
Last updated Sept. 28, 2026, 3:09 a.m.
Docket for: State of Illinois v. Federal Emergency Management Agency
Case Details
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Public Benefits/Government Services
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
- Grant/Contract rescissions, Defunding or Other Threats against Private Entities
- Immigration Enforcement
- Spending Freezes/Cuts
- Voting/Election Law
Key Dates
Filing Date: July 23, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
25 states
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Other
Department of Homeland Security
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. §§ 551 et seq.
Constitutional Clause(s):
Spending/Appropriations Clauses
Other Dockets:
District of Rhode Island 1:26-cv-00485
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Source of Relief:
Issues
Immigration/Border:
Case Summary of State of Illinois v. Federal Emergency Management Agency, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/48373/ (last updated 9/8/2026).