New York, New York, July 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In response to the decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to dismiss the complaint in a lawsuit challenging the Department of Justice's (DOJ) termination of $820 million in essential funding for community violence intervention, victim services, and youth and criminal justice reform, Nick Turner, president and director of the Vera Institute of Justice issued the following statement:

“Vera is deeply disappointed in the judge's decision to dismiss the complaint. As class representatives, Vera and the co-plaintiffs brought the lawsuit on behalf of hundreds of organizations across the country whose awards were abruptly and callously terminated by the DOJ's Office of Justice Programs, and should be restored.

“For decades, during both Republican and Democratic administrations, the Department of Justice has funded organizations like Vera and our co-plaintiffs to operate the programs and services that save lives and make communities safer. Indeed, Judge Amit Mehta acknowledged as much in his ruling, describing the rescinding of these grants as ‘shameful’ and ‘likely to harm communities and individuals vulnerable to crime and violence.’ While we do not agree with the court’s overall decision, we must agree with Judge Mehta when he says that ‘[n]o federal agency, especially the Department of Justice, should conduct itself in such manner.’

“Today's ruling, while discouraging, is not the end of our fight and we are evaluating next steps.”

Vera Institute of Justice
media@vera.org