Attorney General Kwame Raoul has asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to enforce its preliminary injunction that blocks the Trump administration’s demand for states to provide personal and sensitive information about millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients.
The court had issued a preliminary injunction in October 2025, stopping the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from accessing SNAP recipient data. However, in November, the Trump administration again threatened to cut off administrative funding to states that do not comply with its request for this information. In response, Raoul and a coalition of 20 attorneys general filed a motion arguing that this renewed demand violates the court’s order and is contrary to law.
“The Trump administration, yet again, thinks it is above the law, as it ignores the court’s preliminary injunction to temporarily block the USDA from accessing sensitive information of SNAP recipients,” said Raoul. “States should not have to choose between following the law by protecting SNAP recipients’ information or complying with the USDA’s unlawful demand and potentially losing millions of critical SNAP administration dollars. No one should be forced to grant the government unlimited license to their personal information for access to the healthy food everyone deserves.”
In July 2025, Raoul and other attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that USDA’s demands violate federal laws and constitutional protections regarding SNAP recipient data. The USDA has reportedly refused to negotiate safeguards required by law for state-held SNAP data, raising concerns that such information could be shared with agencies like Homeland Security for immigration enforcement or surveillance purposes.
States collect data from SNAP applicants and recipients as part of eligibility verification and benefit distribution processes. Both federal and state laws restrict disclosure of personally identifying data except under limited circumstances. The USDA requested states submit detailed personal information on all SNAP applicants since January 2020—a move challenged by Raoul’s coalition due to risks that such sensitive details could be used improperly.
SNAP is a federally funded program administered by states that provides food assistance to low-income families nationwide—including nearly two million people in Illinois alone. Of these Illinois households receiving benefits, 33% include children, 30% include adults over age 60, and 27% include someone with a disability.
Raoul was joined in filing this lawsuit by attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington D.C., Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington State and Wisconsin; Kentucky also joined.
As Illinois’ chief legal authority operating statewide offices including Chicago and Springfield according to official sources, Attorney General Raoul’s office supports residents through services like complaint handling related to fraud or civil rights violations and advocates for vulnerable groups including seniors and immigrants while promoting community safety.