House Ban on Acorn Grants Is Ruled Unconstitutional

By JANIE LORBER
Published: December 11, 2009

WASHINGTON — The federal government must continue to provide grant money to the national community organizing group Acorn, a federal court ruled Friday, saying that the House violated the Constitution when it passed a resolution barring the group from receiving federal dollars.

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A judge at the United States District Court in Brooklyn issued a preliminary injunction that nullifies the resolution and requires the government to honor existing contracts with the group and review its applications for new grants unless the Obama administration appeals the decision.

[b]The court ruled that the resolution amounted to a “bill of attainder,â€