Court Deals Another Blow To Trump
A federal judge ruled Thursday that construction may resume on a major offshore wind project, marking the second court decision this week to push back against a Trump administration order that paused several wind developments over national security concerns.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, issued a preliminary injunction allowing the Empire Wind project to move forward while the broader legal case continues.
The Empire Wind project, which is intended to supply electricity to New York, was one of five offshore wind developments ordered to halt construction by the Trump administration in December. Federal officials cited national security risks, arguing that the movement of large turbine blades could interfere with radar systems used for military and defense purposes.
Earlier this week, another paused offshore wind project — Revolution Wind — also received approval from a federal court to resume construction, suggesting growing legal challenges to the administration’s effort to temporarily block wind energy development.
In a written statement following Thursday’s ruling, Empire Wind officials said the company would focus on safely restarting construction activities that had been suspended. According to the project’s website, the wind farm is expected to generate enough electricity to power up to 500,000 homes once fully operational.
The judge’s decision does not resolve the underlying dispute over the administration’s stop-work orders. Instead, it allows construction to continue while the legal challenge to the federal action proceeds through the court system.
The Trump administration has argued that offshore wind facilities raise legitimate national security concerns, particularly regarding potential interference with radar and surveillance technology. Supporters of offshore wind, however, say the projects are being unfairly targeted as part of a broader policy disagreement over America’s energy direction.
President Trump has long expressed opposition to wind energy, frequently criticizing it as unreliable, expensive, and harmful to both the environment and national interests.
The court rulings underscore the ongoing debate over U.S. energy policy, federal authority, and national security — an issue expected to remain front and center as legal battles and policy discussions continue into the 2026 election cycle.
