NEW: Obama Judge Begrudgingly Delivers Major Win For Trump

Even an Obama-appointed federal judge couldn’t stop President Donald Trump on Wednesday, delivering him a major legal victory that paves the way for defunding liberal community organizing groups.

The decision allows the U.S. Department of Justice to rescind more than $800 million in violence prevention grants intended for left-leaning nonprofits around the country, many of which benefited from federal funding during the Biden-Harris administration. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta denied a request for a preliminary injunction by five organizations set to be stripped of funding.

Mehta ruled that the termination of more than 360 grants is “shameful,” but that he does not have the authority to prevent the pause from occurring. Defendants, he said, failed to state a constitutional violation or protection.

“Defendants’ rescinding of these awards is shameful. It is likely to harm communities and individuals vulnerable to crime and violence,” Mehta wrote. “But displeasure and sympathy are not enough in a court of law.”

The DOJ announced in April that it would redirect its community grants programs toward new initiatives, including more direct support for law enforcement organizations combating organized crime and human trafficking. Funds will be shifted away from community groups and instead funneled through local governments to serve victims.

Democracy Forward Foundation and Perry Law filed suit, arguing the decision to rescind the grants did not follow due process, lacked clarity, and violated the separation of powers clause that gives Congress the authority to appropriate funds.

Both organizations and others claimed that the loss of funding triggered layoffs and the shuttering of critical programs.

Attorneys for the DOJ argued in court that the plaintiffs had “no legal basis for the Court to order DOJ to restore lawfully terminated grants and keep paying for programs that the Executive Branch views as inconsistent with the interests of the United States.”

Noting that the grant funds will still be spent in support of victims, the DOJ lawyers equated the matter to a “run-of-the-mill contract dispute” and suggested that a civil court was a more appropriate venue for the case, according to Fox News.

Mehta, who was confirmed in 2014, delivered the White House its third major victory in two weeks, following decisions by the Supreme Court that allowed Trump to conduct mass federal layoffs and eliminated the ability of lower courts to issue nationwide injunctions.

As Trump presses forward with stress testing the bounds of his executive authority, he appears to be on a winning streak.

The recent decisions come a month after a federal judge ruled that Trump could call up 4,000 members of the California National Guard over the objection of the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, who argued that it was an illegal usurping of his power. Even temporary setbacks, such as a Supreme Court decision pausing layoffs by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, have eventually worked out in his favor.