Justice Jackson halts court order requiring full SNAP funding

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has issued a temporary administrative stay that pauses part of a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to provide full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November. The stay remains in place until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit reviews the administration’s request to delay the order while it pursues an appeal. The move does not indicate how the Supreme Court may ultimately rule on the broader legal dispute.

Jackson’s action came shortly after the administration sought emergency intervention. Because she is the justice responsible for handling urgent matters arising from the First Circuit, she made the determination to temporarily halt the payments requirement. She indicated that the pause was intended to allow the appellate court to resolve the administration’s request quickly and without the pressure of an immediate deadline.

The dispute has unfolded as the government shutdown enters its sixth week. SNAP, which serves roughly 42 million individuals with monthly grocery assistance, has become one of the most prominent programs affected by the lapse in federal funding. Cities and nonprofit organizations filed suit after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that SNAP benefits would be cut off in November, marking what would be the first time the program experienced a complete funding interruption.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell previously ruled that the administration was required to use the roughly $5 billion SNAP contingency reserve before ending benefits. He rejected the administration’s position that the reserve was meant only for emergencies such as natural disasters. However, the contingency fund alone is insufficient to cover the full November payments. McConnell also determined that issuing partial benefits would only be lawful if they could be delivered promptly, but both state-level agencies and federal officials acknowledged that recalculating partial amounts could result in delays lasting several weeks.

On Thursday, McConnell directed the administration to shift approximately $4 billion from child nutrition programs to make up the remaining November shortfall. The administration appealed that ruling, arguing that reassigning the funds would create wider budgetary disruption during the shutdown. The First Circuit declined to grant immediate relief earlier in the day, prompting the request to the Supreme Court.

Before the Supreme Court stepped in, the USDA had already informed regional SNAP administrators that it was taking steps to follow the lower court order and begin processing the payments. The temporary stay now places those efforts on hold while the appeals process continues. The First Circuit is expected to address the stay request in an expedited manner.