Court restores $73 million in EV charging funds to New Jersey after ruling Trump administration acted unlawfully
A U.S. District Court has ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully withheld congressionally mandated funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, restoring $73 million in federal aid to New Jersey and handing a significant legal win to a 17-state coalition that included New Jersey.
The ruling, issued late last week, resolves a lawsuit filed in May 2025 over the federal government’s suspension of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, or NEVI. The program was created under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and set aside $5 billion nationwide to expand EV charging infrastructure. New Jersey’s approved share was intended to support the construction of publicly accessible charging stations across the state.
The legal challenge began after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, directing federal agencies to pause disbursements under both the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. After that order, the Federal Highway Administration informed states that previously approved NEVI plans were being revoked, despite Congress having already mandated and funded the program.
In its final ruling, the court found that the federal government’s actions violated both the separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act. The decision restores New Jersey’s previously approved NEVI plan to the status it held before the Feb. 6, 2025 revocation and bars the Trump administration from continuing to obstruct the program.
The court also noted that states had already “dedicated substantial time, resources, and work” to developing EV infrastructure plans before the federal policy change disrupted them.
Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the ruling puts New Jersey back on track to recover funding the state says was unlawfully taken away. “This win puts New Jersey back on track for $73 million in funding unlawfully stripped away through the Trump Administration’s illegal actions,” Davenport said. “New Jerseyans want sustainable transportation options, and my office will always fight on behalf of hard-working commuters, residents, and the State’s economy when the federal government oversteps its authority.”
New Jersey had already awarded a contract in 2024 for the installation of EV charging stations under the NEVI program before the federal suspension took effect, meaning the funding freeze interrupted a project that was already moving forward.
The lawsuit was brought jointly by attorneys general from 17 jurisdictions, including Washington, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Vermont, alongside New Jersey.
The ruling brings to a close a legal fight that began with a preliminary injunction in June 2025 and ends with full reinstatement of state deployment plans. For New Jersey, the restored funding is expected to help advance the state’s buildout of EV charging infrastructure and support longer-term efforts to expand transportation options for residents.