A federal judge appointed by Barack Obama has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump from implementing a key provision of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” that would have stripped Planned Parenthood of federal Medicaid funding for one year.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, known for her left-leaning rulings, sided with Planned Parenthood on Monday just hours after the abortion giant filed a lawsuit challenging the defunding measure. Talwani issued a two-week restraining order preventing the Trump administration from enforcing the provision.
Her order directs the federal government to “ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed in the customary manner” to Planned Parenthood, despite Congress explicitly passing the provision into law.
While the ruling technically allows enforcement of the provision against other providers, Planned Parenthood admitted it represents nearly all of the impacted entities—effectively shielding itself from consequences for the time being.
The organization, which performed nearly 393,000 abortions in a single year according to its latest report, has seen a surge in demand—especially in Democrat-run states—since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
In fact, Planned Parenthood said it helped coordinate travel for more than 33,000 abortions, confirming its central role in the post-Roe abortion industry.
The judge’s decision comes in spite of a recent Supreme Court ruling that emphasized the limits of lower court power over the executive branch. Writing for the majority in June, Justice Amy Coney Barrett stated, “Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them.”
The Trump administration is expected to appeal, setting the stage for another legal showdown over abortion policy—and raising questions about the ability of activist judges to override duly passed legislation.