Federal judge reconsiders Donald Trump settlement with Justice Department

Judge pauses compensation fund amid backlash

Things got heated when 35 retired federal judges accused both sides of "is a product of collusion and is itself a fraud on the court," pushing Judge Williams to demand answers from Trump's legal team by June 12, 2026.
Another judge has paused the compensation fund after backlash over possible payouts to people tied to January 6, 2021.

Some critics called the fund a "slush fund," and some Republican lawmakers expressed anger over the payouts, while legal experts say this whole situation is pretty much unheard of in US law.