California AG's Office Seeks Injunction Against Feds in SNAP Data Standoff

• A coalition of states led by California seeks an injunction against the federal government to block similar lawsuits in other jurisdictions.
• The government has filed four separate lawsuits against participating states, with plans to file up to 19 more.
• The lawsuit centers on the Trump administration's request for SNAP user information, which the states claim is being used to target immigrants.
• The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the administration's efforts to use SNAP data to target immigrants.

This has led to a standoff between the federal government and the participating states, with billions of dollars flowing through the program each year.

A coalition of states led by California is seeking an injunction against the federal government in a bid to block similar lawsuits in other jurisdictions. The move comes after the government filed four separate lawsuits against states participating in the SNAP data standoff, with plans to file up to 19 more. This would divert attention from dockets in at least 23 additional district courts across the country. In Northern California federal court, Senior U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney was receptive to the plaintiffs' concerns about inconsistent rulings but ultimately decided not to issue a ruling from the bench. Instead, she took the matter under submission and will issue a decision as soon as possible.

The lawsuit in question was originally brought by 21 states and the District of Columbia in June 2025, claiming that President Donald Trump's administration is attempting to build a database of people's information to target immigrants. The White House has maintained that the requested data is needed for transparency and to investigate fraud. However, the states argue that the Trump administration is rewriting the rules to punish those who use SNAP. This has led to a standoff between the federal government and the participating states, with billions of dollars flowing through the program each year. Information requested by the government includes Social Security numbers and home addresses for the past five years.

The outcome of this case has significant implications for the administration's efforts to target immigrants using SNAP data. If the injunction is granted, it could prevent inconsistent rulings across federal jurisdictions and alleviate the burden on the judiciary. However, if the motion is denied, it may set a precedent for other courts to hear similar cases, potentially leading to conflicting decisions. Lawyers representing states participating in the SNAP data standoff should be prepared for potential inconsistent rulings and may need to advise clients on how to navigate these conflicting decisions.

Lawyers representing states participating in the SNAP data standoff should be prepared for potential inconsistent rulings across federal jurisdictions, and may need to advise clients on how to navigate these conflicting decisions.

Source: Original reporting via California News