Judge rules Trump administration cannot halt FBI HQ move to Maryland

WASHINGTON - A judge has sided with Maryland and Prince George's County officials, ruling that the Trump administration cannot halt the planned relocation of the FBI headquarters to Greenbelt, Maryland.

The administration attempted to stop the planned move to the Greenbelt site, and was instead seeking to relocate the bureau to the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C.

The president also aimed to redirect more than $1 billion in congressional funding that had been approved for the development in Greenbelt.

The legal challenge was filed by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and Prince George's County to block the administration's attempt to abandon the Greenbelt site and divert federal funds.

AG Brown reacted to the decision, saying in a statement, "This victory is about more than a building. It is about ensuring that when Congress makes a decision, the Federal Government cannot simply ignore it because they do not like the outcome."

The FBI has been headquartered at the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., since 1974.

In December 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel announced plans to permanently close the aging facility, citing the need for a safer, more modern site, and proposed moving the bureau to the Reagan Building while reassigning additional staff to the field.

State and local officials noted that Maryland had committed over $300 million toward infrastructure and development for the Greenbelt project.

A spokesperson for the FBI shared the following statement: "This is not the first time courts have tried to undermine the administration in its goal to make government more cost-effective for American taxpayers. The court has chosen to impermissibly intervene for political reasons. This FBI is mission focused and will continue the best course of action to meet the needs of law enforcement. Sycophants seeking to undermine the work of this FBI, which has led the largest reduction in crime in American history under President Trump, will not be deterred."

"From the beginning, we said the decision to move the FBI headquarters to Greenbelt was final, earned, and the Trump Administration's attempt to overturn it was illegal and wrong for our national security. Today, the court agreed," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement.

Prince George's County Executive Aisha Braveboy said, "Today's decision is fundamentally about jobs and opportunity for Prince George's County and the State of Maryland. The FBI HQ project will be the single largest economic development project in the history of Prince George's County. It is estimated to create over 7,500 jobs and add approximately $4 billion to the GDP of the County and State."

Maryland Delegation members shared a statement after the judge's ruling which reads in part: "The Trump Administration had no grounds to ignore this selection, or redirect even one penny that Congress specifically appropriated for construction of the competitively selected site. We're glad to see the Court acknowledge this fact, ruling that the Trump Administration's actions are unlawful and void...Hopefully, the Trump Administration will agree with the conclusion that the Congress, the General Services Administration, and the District Court have all found, which is that Greenbelt is the proper home of the FBI."