The U.S. Department of Justice has stopped enforcing eight restrictions on federal grants supporting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault following a court ruling that found the conditions were improperly imposed. The change affects programs administered by the department's Office on Violence Against Women, which awarded more than $1.4 million to three Virgin Islands recipients during fiscal year 2025.
In updated funding instructions published Friday, October 23, the Justice Department acknowledged that a federal judge had invalidated eight categories of activities the agency previously prohibited grant recipients from funding. The restrictions can no longer be enforced against Office on Violence Against Women awards for fiscal years 2025, 2026 and 2027 unless the court's ruling is stayed or overturned on appeal.
The restrictions, introduced under the Trump administration, covered several aspects of how organizations could use federal funding. They included prohibitions targeting certain diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, programs addressing gender identity, services involving immigration-related issues, and activities that treated domestic violence or sexual assault as broader social problems rather than primarily as criminal offenses.
Other restrictions targeted programs that discouraged cooperation with law enforcement, certain public-awareness campaigns, and initiatives that the administration considered inconsistent with its executive orders or immigration policies.
Under the revised instructions, organizations applying for affected grants are no longer required to certify that federal funds will not be used for the eight invalidated categories. They may instead submit certifications excluding the restrictions struck down by the court.
The decision does not eliminate all federal conditions governing the grants. Two other restrictions, including limits on unrelated community-development activities and excessive administrative or consulting expenses, were not among those vacated. Recipients must also continue complying with applicable federal laws and other requirements governing how grant funds are spent.
Federal Court Rejects Grant Conditions
The change follows a September 29 ruling by U.S. District Judge Melissa R. DuBose in Rhode Island in Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence v. Blanche, a lawsuit brought by 25 nonprofit organizations challenging restrictions imposed on grants administered by the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women and Office of Justice Programs.
The organizations argued that the restrictions interfered with their ability to serve victims and exceeded the department's authority under the Violence Against Women Act. They also challenged requirements that organizations certify compliance with the conditions when applying for federal funding.
Judge DuBose concluded that the Justice Department violated the Administrative Procedure Act because it failed to provide adequate explanations for imposing the restrictions or sufficiently consider their effects on organizations receiving the grants.
The court determined that the department had not demonstrated a reasonable decision-making process when implementing the changes. It set aside the challenged conditions rather than limiting relief to the organizations that brought the lawsuit.
The ruling followed earlier court orders temporarily blocking enforcement of the restrictions while the litigation proceeded. The September decision resolved the central challenge to the conditions, although the court declined to issue a permanent injunction barring the department from imposing similar restrictions under any circumstances in the future.
More Than $1.4 Million Awarded to Virgin Islands Recipients
The federal grant programs affected by the policy change provide funding for organizations and government agencies addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
According to the Justice Department's fiscal year 2025 award records, three Virgin Islands recipients received grants totaling $1,426,032 through the Office on Violence Against Women.
The V.I. Law Enforcement Planning Commission received $642,314 through the Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program, known as STOP. The program supports improvements in law enforcement and criminal justice responses to domestic violence, sexual assault and other offenses covered by the Violence Against Women Act.
The V.I. Department of Human Services received $258,718 through the Sexual Assault Services Formula Program, which supports services for victims of sexual assault. The Women's Coalition of St. Croix received $525,000 through the Transitional Housing Assistance Program, which provides housing-related assistance to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.
The awards were issued during the federal fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. They are not additional funding announced under the October 23 policy change.
Federal records do not establish whether any of the three Virgin Islands recipients had to modify programs, discontinue services or change funding applications because of the restrictions before they were invalidated.
A separate review of Justice Department records identified an inconsistency involving the Virgin Islands' designated domestic violence and sexual assault coalition.
The department's fiscal year 2026 State and Territory Coalitions directory, updated April 6, identifies organizations recognized to coordinate domestic violence and sexual assault services across the states and territories. While most jurisdictions have designated organizations listed, both entries for the Virgin Islands are blank.
However, another Justice Department directory identifies the Virgin Islands Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council as the territory's coalition for both domestic violence and sexual assault, with offices on St. Croix and St. Thomas.
The federal State and Territory Coalitions Program provides funding to designated organizations responsible for coordinating victim services, supporting prevention efforts and working with government agencies, law enforcement and community providers.
