FBI Director Kash Patel’s bid to keep the bureau’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., has been declared unlawful by a federal judge.
Following a lengthy battle between Maryland and Virginia over replacing the deteriorating J. Edgar Hoover Building, the General Services Administration selected Greenbelt, Maryland, for the organization’s new home in 2023.
President Donald Trump, 80, scrapped that decision after returning to office in 2025. His administration proposed moving the bureau into the Ronald Reagan Building, a short walk from its current home. Maryland and Prince George’s County sued that November.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled that the proposed switch was “not in accordance with law.” He prohibited Patel, 46, and Attorney General Todd Blanche, 52, from relocating the FBI to the Reagan Building or funding renovations there, the Associated Press reported.
The setback marks another pratfall for a director whose error-strewn tenure has earned him the nickname “Keystone Kash,” a reference to the spectacularly incompetent police force from silent-era comedy films.
Chuang, an Obama appointee, concluded in his ruling that Congress had never authorized the Washington plan.
Lawmakers included language in the 2026 Appropriations Act blocking previously appropriated funds from being spent on remodeling the Reagan Building until the FBI produces complete architectural plans. No plans have been submitted, The Washington Post reported.
The bureau responded with a furious attack on the court. They told the Daily Beast: “This is not the first time courts have tried to undermine the administration in its goal to make government more cost-effective for American taxpayers. The court has chosen to impermissibly intervene for political reasons.
“This FBI is mission focused and will continue the best course of action to meet the needs of law enforcement. Sycophants seeking to undermine the work of this FBI, which has led the largest reduction in crime in American history under President Trump, will not be deterred.”
The GSA was also scathing of the ruling. “An activist judge is wasting taxpayer dollars in yet another political decision designed to undermine President Trump and his America-First agenda,“ a spokesperson told the Beast.
“GSA will not pursue an inferior approach in cost, speed, and value. Guided by President Trump’s vision, we remain focused on delivering a new FBI Headquarters faster and at far lower cost to the American taxpayer. GSA will continue to ensure its agency partners, including the FBI, have workspaces to best accomplish their missions on behalf of the American people.”
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat, said the victory was “about more than a building,” adding: “It is about ensuring that when Congress makes a decision, the Federal Government cannot simply ignore it because they do not like the outcome.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the decision was a big win for his home state.
“Now it is time to stop the games and get to work building the world-class FBI headquarters that our public servants deserve, where it belongs: in Prince George’s County, Maryland,” he said.
County executive Aisha Braveboy told the Post that the Greenbelt development would deliver 7,500 jobs and attract $4 billion in investment, making it the largest investment in the county’s history. “We’re in it to win it,” she said.
Chuang directed the two sides to submit a joint status report within 14 days.
