ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL SECURES FINAL VICTORY IN LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR HALTING DEVELOPMENT OF WIND ENERGY

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL SECURES FINAL VICTORY IN LAWSUIT AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR HALTING DEVELOPMENT OF WIND ENERGY

June 16, 2026

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul won a successful resolution of his lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's unlawful order to freeze all federal permitting for wind energy projects. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit dismissed the Trump administration's appeal of a lower court's ruling that found the administration's actions unlawful.

"Wind energy is a key component in Illinois' transition to a renewable energy future," Raoul said. "Our legal victory makes clear that the Trump administration's attempt to halt all wind energy development was illegal and baseless. I will continue to join with my fellow attorneys general to push back against the president's unlawful actions."

On the day he was sworn in to office for his second term, President Trump issued a memorandum that, among other things, indefinitely froze all federal approvals needed for the development of wind energy projects pending federal review. Pursuant to this directive, federal agencies stopped all permitting and approval activities.

In May 2025, Raoul and a coalition of attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging those actions, and in December, a federal judge vacated the actions, ruling that they were arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law. The federal government appealed the ruling but subsequently opted to drop that appeal. The appeals court entered a judgment dismissing the appeal and cementing the states' victory.

Illinois is one of the top states in the country for producing renewable energy from wind, and even more development of wind power in Illinois is planned for the near future. In their lawsuit, Raoul and the coalition alleged that President Trump's directive harmed their states' efforts to secure reliable, diversified and affordable sources of energy to meet the increasing demand for electricity, as well as to help reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants, meet clean energy goals and address climate change. The directive also threatened to thwart the states' significant investments in wind industry infrastructure, supply chains and workforce development - investments that total billions of dollars

The coalition argued that federal agencies' actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act and other federal laws because the agencies, among other things, provided no reasoned explanation for categorically and indefinitely halting all wind energy approvals. The lawsuit also argued that the abrupt halt of all permitting violated numerous federal statutes that prescribe specific procedures and timelines for federal permitting and approvals.

Raoul was joined in filing the lawsuit by attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington.