A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration’s effort to scrap a long-standing plan to build a new FBI headquarters in Maryland and instead relocate the bureau to a site in Washington, D.C.

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang sided with the state of Maryland and Prince George’s County, ruling that the administration had unlawfully abandoned a 2023 plan to construct the new FBI facility in Greenbelt, Maryland. The judge determined that the administration’s decision to divert funding and cancel the Maryland project was “not in accordance with law”.

The Dispute

The legal battle began after President Trump announced in 2025 that he wanted to keep the FBI headquarters in Washington and subsequently proposed moving it to the Ronald Reagan Building, a federal office building in the nation’s capital. The administration’s plan would have relocated the FBI from its aging J. Edgar Hoover Building to the Reagan Building, rather than proceeding with the previously approved move to suburban Maryland.

The Judge’s Ruling

In a 47-page opinion, Judge Chuang rejected the administration’s arguments and affirmed that the government had improperly scrapped the Greenbelt site selection process. The ruling effectively blocks the Trump administration from abandoning the planned move to Maryland and from proceeding with the Washington, D.C., alternative.

Background

The FBI has long sought a new headquarters to replace its deteriorating Hoover Building in downtown Washington. In 2023, the General Services Administration selected Greenbelt, Maryland, as the preferred site for a new consolidated FBI campus. The Trump administration later reversed that decision, prompting Maryland to sue.