Federal judge halts Trump taxpayer-funded ads ahead of midterms

A federal judge in the Southern District of New York ordered the Trump administration to immediately stop taxpayer-funded ads featuring President Trump, responding to a suit by Common Cause and Democracy Forward. The ruling is temporary and comes weeks before midterm elections, with similar litigation pending in D.C. federal court. This marks a judicial check on executive use of public funds for political messaging, with uncertain immediate impact on ad campaigns.