Obama Judge Says Big Beautiful Bill Can’t Defund Planned Parenthood

A federal judge moved Tuesday to block the Trump administration from enforcing a key provision of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, halting its effort to strip Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood in 22 states.

Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Boston ruled that a coalition of Democratic attorneys general is likely to prove that the law imposes an unconstitutional, retroactive condition on state participation in the Medicaid program. Talwani issued a preliminary injunction but paused it for seven days to give the administration time to appeal.

In July, Talwani extended a temporary restraining order that blocked the administration from enforcing a provision cutting Medicaid funding to certain Planned Parenthood centers. She ruled that the Reconciliation Act’s funding restriction — aimed at groups providing abortions and receiving more than $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements in 2023 — cannot be enforced against Planned Parenthood and its affiliates in Massachusetts and Utah.

The court ordered Planned Parenthood to post a $100 bond by July 15, 2025 and kept the injunction in place until at least July 21 unless it issues a new ruling. The decision gives Planned Parenthood a temporary win by preserving Medicaid funding while the legal fight continues. Planned Parenthood sought the order, telling the court that the law would severely disrupt healthcare services for Medicaid patients.