A federal judge ruled Monday that the administration appears to be illegally withholding funds previously approved by Congress for the National Endowment for Democracy, a nonprofit that supports democratic institutions and individual liberties across the globe.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said the Trump administration has for months ”obstructed” tens of millions of dollars in funds intended for the group, forcing deep furloughs and defaults on grants — despite explicit language in federal law barring anyone but Congress from conditioning the disbursement of this funding.