Federal Judge Who Keeps Ruling Against Trump Major Democrat Donor
A federal judge with a long history of donating to Democrats has now ruled twice against President Donald Trump—and he’s likely set to do it again.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell, an Obama appointee from Rhode Island, has already blocked two Trump administration efforts involving federal funding. Now, he’s presiding over a third lawsuit—this one brought by 20 Democrat state attorneys general—challenging Trump’s push to withhold funds from so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions that ignore federal immigration law, The Daily Signal reported.
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McConnell’s political leanings aren’t a mystery. Before taking the bench, he gave nearly $500,000 in campaign contributions—almost entirely to Democrats. That includes $28,500 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $25,000 to Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s campaign, and tens of thousands more to Democratic state parties and candidates across the country, according to Open Secrets and CQ Roll Call.
He was nominated by then-President Obama in 2010 and confirmed by a slim 50–44 Senate vote in 2011.
His wife, Sara Shea McConnell, has also poured money into Democrat campaigns, contributing over $250,000, including to the DNC, the Rhode Island Democratic Party, and to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.
Their daughter, Catherine McConnell, served as a senior policy adviser in President Joe Biden’s Department of Education and previously worked under former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, now Biden’s Secretary of Commerce. She also donated to Democratic candidates as recently as 2021.
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McConnell previously tossed a lawsuit to remove Trump from Rhode Island’s 2024 ballot, but once Trump became president, he hasn’t won a single case in McConnell’s courtroom.
In State of Rhode Island v. Trump, McConnell blocked Trump from cutting funds to agencies that Congress created, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Minority Business Development Agency.
In State of New York v. Trump, McConnell issued an injunction stopping Trump’s freeze on federal spending, siding with 22 states and D.C.
In March, Rep. Andy Clyde, R-Ga., filed a resolution to impeach McConnell, citing what he called an “obvious conflict of interest.”
The impeachment resolution against Judge John McConnell isn’t expected to advance, but the allegations it raises are serious.
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Rep. Andy Clyde’s resolution points to McConnell’s position on the board of Crossroads Rhode Island, a nonprofit that receives state funding. Clyde argues that the judge’s involvement with the organization creates an obvious conflict of interest, especially since McConnell ruled on a case that could directly impact that funding.
“There is a clear conflict of interest given that Chief Judge John James McConnell Jr. presided over and made a decision regarding a case which significantly impacts the funding of an organization in which he serves as a director of and as a fiduciary,” the resolution states.
In May, America First Legal—founded by Trump administration officials—filed a judicial misconduct complaint against McConnell with Chief Judge David Barron of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The group cited McConnell’s active role with Crossroads Rhode Island, which is confirmed by the nonprofit’s IRS Form 990.
When asked for comment, McConnell declined.
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Frank Perry, the court’s public information officer, said the judge wouldn’t speak to the media while overseeing cases involving the Trump administration. “Judge McConnell has no comment on the article or the impeachment resolution,” Perry added. “As a sitting federal judge, he remains committed to upholding the impartiality and integrity of the judiciary.”
Not everyone agrees with the criticism. Rhode Island Bar Association President Christopher Gontarz rushed to defend McConnell, calling him “a well-respected jurist” and warning against what he called “ad hominem partisanship and sensationalist rhetoric.”
But with McConnell now presiding over yet another Trump-related case—California v. U.S. Department of Transportation—those concerns about impartiality aren’t going away.
In that case, California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading 20 Democratic state attorneys general in suing to stop Trump from withholding federal transportation funds from states that ignore immigration enforcement.
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And once again, McConnell holds the gavel.
