It was a mess. Pure and simple. If you were looking at your EBT balance in early November 2025 and seeing a big fat zero—or maybe just a fraction of what you expected—you weren't alone. Millions of people were stuck in this weird, stressful limbo where the federal government was shut down and the fridge was getting empty.
So, did judges stop the EBT shutdown? Kinda. They certainly tried. But the reality is a lot more complicated than a single "yes" or "no." It was a high-stakes game of legal ping-pong between federal judges, the Trump administration, and the Supreme Court. While judges did issue orders to keep the money flowing, those orders were fought every step of the way until a deal in Congress finally ended the shutdown on November 13, 2025.
The Moment the Food Stamps Froze
Everything hit the fan on October 1, 2025. Congress failed to pass a budget, the government shut down, and suddenly the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was looking at an empty piggy bank. Well, not totally empty, but they claimed they didn't have the legal authority to spend what was left.
By late October, the administration announced that SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits for November would be frozen. This was a massive deal. We're talking about roughly 42 million people who rely on these funds to, you know, eat.
The administration’s logic? Without new money from Congress, they couldn't keep the lights on for EBT. But several states and advocacy groups like the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) weren't buying it. They argued that the USDA was sitting on billions in "contingency funds" specifically meant for emergencies like this.
The Judges Step In
This is where the "judges stopping the shutdown" part comes in. On October 31, 2025—literally the day before the November benefits were supposed to vanish—two federal judges dropped a hammer on the USDA.
- Judge John McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island ruled that the government was illegally withholding funds.
- Judge Indira Talwani in Boston reached a similar conclusion in a separate lawsuit.
Basically, these judges told the Trump administration: "You have $5 billion in a contingency fund. Use it."
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It was a huge victory for families, but it didn't mean full benefits for everyone immediately. The USDA initially dragged its feet, saying they would only provide partial payments—about 65% of the normal amount. They argued that if they spent all the money in November, they’d have nothing left for December if the shutdown continued.
The Battle for "Full" Benefits
The legal fight didn't stop at partial payments. On November 6, Judge McConnell took it a step further. He ordered the government to fully fund SNAP for November. He didn't just suggest it; he commanded it. He basically called the administration’s delay "arbitrary and capricious"—legal speak for "you're making this up as you go and it’s hurting people."
For a brief, shining moment on Friday, November 7, it looked like the judges had won. States like Wisconsin, California, and Oregon went into overdrive. Their IT teams worked through the night to "push" the full payments to EBT cards before the federal government could stop them.
"We moved with haste once we verified everything," said Joseph Campos II, a Hawaii human services official.
If you were in one of those "fast" states, you might have seen your full balance hit your card that Saturday morning. But if you lived in a state that waited for more guidance? You were out of luck.
Enter the Supreme Court
The Trump administration, led by Solicitor General D. John Sauer, rushed to the Supreme Court on the evening of November 7. They argued that Judge McConnell was overstepping his bounds and forcing the government to spend money it didn't have.
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Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson initially issued a temporary stay to give the court time to look at the case. Then, the full Supreme Court extended that stay. This effectively blocked the orders for "full" payments in many states.
It was chaos. You had people in Pennsylvania who got full benefits and people in New Jersey who had $0. It was a "zip code lottery" for food.
How it Actually Ended
The judges provided the pressure, but it was a Congressional deal that finally stopped the EBT shutdown for good. On November 13, 2025, the government shutdown officially ended.
Once the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (or the continuing resolution associated with it) was signed, the USDA notified the Supreme Court that the legal fight was now "moot." The government was open, the money was appropriated, and full benefits were restored to everyone by November 14.
What This Means for 2026 and Beyond
Even though the shutdown is over, the landscape of EBT has changed. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 (H.R. 1) introduced some pretty permanent shifts that are now in effect as of early 2026.
If you're on SNAP right now, here’s the reality you're dealing with:
- Work Requirements: They are much stricter now. Adults up to age 64 (it used to be 54) generally have to prove 80 hours of work or volunteering per month unless they have a specific exemption.
- State Cost-Sharing: For the first time, states are being asked to chip in for the actual cost of the benefits, not just the paperwork. This is making some states talk about cutting eligibility to save their own budgets.
- Data Privacy Battles: As of January 2026, states like Washington are still in court fighting the USDA over demands for "sensitive" recipient data.
Actionable Steps: What You Should Do Now
The judges "stopped" the total shutdown by forcing the use of emergency funds, but they couldn't fix the underlying politics. To make sure your benefits stay safe in 2026, keep these things in mind:
- Check Your Recertification Date: Most of the new H.R. 1 rules (like the new work requirements) hit you when you recertify. Don't let that date sneak up on you.
- Document Everything: If you're 60+ or have a disability, make sure your medical exemptions are on file. The "grace periods" are getting shorter.
- Watch the State Budget: Since states now have to pay a percentage of SNAP costs (around 15% in some cases), your local state legislature has more power over your EBT than they used to. Follow local news about "SNAP cost-sharing" in your state capital.
- Use Your Benefits: If you have a balance, use it. During the 2025 shutdown, there was a lot of fear about the government "clawing back" funds already on cards. While that didn't happen, it’s always better to have the food in your pantry than a balance you can't access during a glitch.
The legal drama of late 2025 proved that the EBT system is more fragile than we thought. Judges can provide a temporary band-aid, but they can't force a closed government to stay open forever. Keeping an eye on those recertification letters is your best bet for 2026.