A federal judge delivered a victory to states and environmental groups Friday, ruling that the Trump administration unlawfully froze a $5 billion electric vehicle infrastructure program established under the Biden administration. U.S. District Judge Tana Lin issued a 57-page opinion granting partial summary judgment in favor of 20 states and seven nonprofits that challenged the suspension of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program.
"This case puts to the test our system of government's emphasis on consistency, comity and continuity," wrote Lin, a Biden appointee to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The judge criticized federal agencies for abandoning established administrative procedures, saying they "yanked the [National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure] formula program's cord out of the outlet."
The NEVI Formula Program was signed into law by former President Joe Biden in 2021 as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The program was designed to create an interconnected network of highways with electric vehicle charging stations across the nation, with planned funding rounds from 2022 through 2026. The program allocated $5 billion to states to build comprehensive electric vehicle charging networks.
When President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, his administration immediately halted the program. The sudden cessation prompted 17 states to file a lawsuit in May against the U.S. Department of Transportation, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the Federal Highway Administration, and its administrator. The states argued that the agencies unlawfully withheld billions in congressionally approved funding. Seven nonprofits and three additional states later joined the legal challenge.
In her ruling, Lin rejected the Trump administration's characterization of the halt as merely a temporary pause. The judge noted that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act does not authorize such suspensions. "The [Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act] empowers the Secretary of Transportation to do many things — but taking a hiatus from executing the law is not one of them," Lin wrote.
The court found that the administration's "instantaneous and sudden cessation" of the program violated the Administrative Procedure Act. "Such capriciousness runs counter to the Administrative Procedure Act; it is simply not how things are lawfully done," the judge stated in her opinion.
This ruling builds on Lin's earlier decision in June, when she granted the states' motion for a preliminary injunction requiring the Federal Highway Administration to restore funding for the program. The Friday decision goes further by establishing that the suspension was unlawful under federal administrative law.
Under the court's order, federal defendants are prohibited from suspending or revoking funding for the plaintiff states' electric vehicle plans or withholding any NEVI program funds. The ruling effectively requires the restoration of the program and prevents future arbitrary suspensions.
The legal challenge highlights broader tensions over federal climate and infrastructure policy as the Trump administration seeks to roll back Biden-era environmental initiatives. The NEVI program represents one of the largest federal investments in electric vehicle infrastructure, aimed at addressing range anxiety and accelerating the transition to electric vehicles.
The program's suspension had created uncertainty for states that had already begun planning and implementing charging station networks under the federal framework. Many states had developed comprehensive plans for utilizing their allocated funding and had entered into agreements with contractors and utility companies.
The ruling emphasizes the principle that federal agencies must follow established administrative procedures when making policy changes, even when new administrations seek to reverse previous policies. Administrative law requires agencies to provide reasoned explanations for policy reversals and to follow proper notice and comment procedures.
For the plaintiff states, the victory ensures continued access to federal funding for electric vehicle infrastructure development. The decision allows states to proceed with their planned charging station deployments without further interruption from federal policy changes.
The Trump administration could potentially appeal the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. However, the detailed nature of Lin's opinion and its grounding in established administrative law principles may make a successful appeal challenging.
The case demonstrates the ongoing legal battles over federal environmental and infrastructure policies as different administrations pursue conflicting priorities. While the Trump administration has signaled its intent to reduce federal support for electric vehicle initiatives, this ruling shows that such changes must comply with administrative law requirements and cannot be implemented arbitrarily.
The NEVI program's restoration ensures that the federal government will continue its planned investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, supporting the broader transition to electric transportation across the United States. The ruling reinforces that congressional appropriations cannot be unilaterally suspended without proper legal justification and administrative procedures.