EXCLUSIVE — A Rhode Island federal judge who blocked the Trump administration’s freeze on federal assistance is under renewed scrutiny for his long-running ties to a taxpayer-backed nonprofit organization that has received millions of dollars in government grants and was flagged for serious financial irregularities.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr., appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2010, issued a temporary injunction in January halting President Donald Trump’s freeze on some federal discretionary funds. The move drew praise from left-leaning legal groups — and criticism from Trump allies — because the judge served as board chairman of Crossroads Rhode Island, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that receives millions of dollars in public funding from the very federal agencies affected by the administration’s freeze plan.
Judge John J. McConnell Jr., chief judge
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