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🇺🇸 United States /Crime & Justice

Judge blocks plan to move FBI headquarters to Reagan Building

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's plan to move the FBI headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.
  • The state of Maryland had sued, alleging the administration unlawfully tried to sabotage a previous plan to move the headquarters to Greenbelt, Maryland, and divert designated funds.
  • The judge ruled that the administration's actions were "arbitrary and capricious" and violated federal law, clearing the path for the Greenbelt relocation.

A federal judge has halted the Trump administration's initiative to relocate the FBI's headquarters to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. This decision comes after the Biden administration had previously announced plans in 2023 to move the bureau's main offices to Greenbelt, Maryland.

the most cost-effective and resource-efficient way to carry out our mission.

— Kash PatelFBI Director Kash Patel explained the rationale behind choosing the Reagan Building for the FBI's relocation.

In July 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel announced a shift in plans, stating the Reagan Building offered a more cost-effective and resource-efficient solution. However, the state of Maryland filed a lawsuit last November. Maryland alleged that the Trump administration had engaged in an "unlawful sabotage" of the 2023 plan and illegally diverted over $323 million in congressionally allocated funds intended for the Greenbelt project.

unlawfully sabotage

— MarylandThe state of Maryland accused the Trump administration of attempting to 'unlawfully sabotage' the FBI headquarters relocation plan.

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang sided with Maryland on Monday, issuing a 47-page opinion. He determined that the Trump administration's decision to divert funding and cancel the Greenbelt plan was "arbitrary and capricious and not in accordance with law," among other federal law violations. The FBI has been based at the J. Edgar Hoover Building in downtown Washington since 1975, but the facility has suffered from structural issues for two decades.

arbitrary and capricious and not in accordance with law

— U.S. District Judge Theodore ChuangJudge Chuang described the Trump administration's actions regarding the FBI headquarters funding and plan as 'arbitrary and capricious and not in accordance with law'.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown welcomed the ruling, stating it "cleared the path back to Greenbelt." He emphasized that Maryland and Prince George's County had invested over a decade of work and hundreds of millions of dollars toward securing the FBI headquarters. The judge's decision effectively reinstates the Greenbelt site as the intended location, ending a long-standing debate over the FBI's headquarters relocation.

Maryland and Prince George's County committed more than a decade of work to earn the FBI headquarters and pledged hundreds of millions of dollars. By blocking the Trump Administration's unlawful attempt to move the FBI to the Reagan Building and divert the funds Congress set aside for this project, the Court has cleared the path back to Greenbelt.

— Anthony G. BrownMaryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown commented on the judge's decision, highlighting the state's commitment and the implications for the Greenbelt relocation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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