Attorney General Raoul: Appeals Court Affirms Permanent Injunction To Halt Defunding Medical, Public Health Research

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul applauded the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit for affirming a lower court ruling permanently preventing the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from cutting funding that supports cutting-edge medical and public health research at universities and research institutions across the country.

The ruling protects “indirect cost” reimbursements at research institutions throughout the country. These reimbursements cover necessary expenses to facilitate biomedical research, including lab, faculty, safety protocol, data processing and utility costs.

“This win protects the efforts of Illinois universities and research institutions to achieve breakthrough discoveries with lifesaving medical research,” Raoul said. “I commend the court for stopping the administration from attempting, yet again, to cut essential funding, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure the law is upheld.”

In February 2025, Raoul co-led a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to stop the unlawful cuts. Less than six hours later, a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order against NIH, barring its attempts to cut the critical research funding. The court subsequently issued an injunction preventing the Trump administration from implementing its funding restrictions. The appellate court has now rejected the administration’s appeal of that order.

In Illinois, numerous public universities receive NIH funding for clinical trials and research. The ruling protects approximately $67 million each year for the University of Illinois System and $4.5 million for other public universities in the Southern Illinois University System. These Illinois universities work on cutting-edge medical research that the public relies on, including developing new treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes.

The NIH is the primary source of federal funding for medical research in the United States. Medical research funded by NIH grants has led to innumerable scientific breakthroughs, including the discovery of treatments for cancers of all types, the first sequencing of DNA and the development of the MRI. Additionally, dozens of NIH-supported scientists have earned Nobel Prizes for their groundbreaking scientific work.

Attorney General Raoul co-led the lawsuit with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Joining them in filing the complaint were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

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