Oregon and New York co-led the 22-state coalition that brought the case, which was filed last November.Shutterstock
A federal judge in Oregon has ruled in favor of 22 states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit seeking to preserve Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for certain lawful permanent residents.
The court had previously issued an injunction in the case, in which the states were at risk of paying hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties for providing benefits to some lawful state residents who were not U.S. citizens (also known as Green Card holders), such as former refugees and people who had been granted asylum.
The Trump administration later reversed its position on eligibility for lawful permanent residents but continued to argue that states owed fines for missing a "grace period" that had effectively expired before the administration finished issuing guidance on the changes, according to Oregon State Attorney General Dan Rayfield, who led the suit.
"The court's ruling means that Oregon will continue to effectively manage the SNAP program, and our vulnerable neighbors will get the food they need," Rayfield said in a statement.
Oregon ...