In seeking an injunction, Baltimore cited a February 8 letter to Fed Chair Jerome Powell where Vought said the CFPB needed no money in its next funding draw. It also cited a February 11 email where CFPB Chief Operating Officer Adam Martinez said the agency had contacted the Fed about its ability to return money.

A Biden-appointed judge was wary of overstepping his authority to block what he said was not a “final agency action” by the CFPB.

A federal judge in Maryland ruled against the City of Baltimore's attempt to block cuts to Consumer Financial Protection Bureau program funding on procedural grounds.