{"id":3408,"date":"2026-06-23T16:35:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T16:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3408"},"modified":"2026-06-23T16:35:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T16:35:03","slug":"judge-rules-government-cant-stop-snap-dollars-from-buying-candy-and-sugary-drinks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3408","title":{"rendered":"Judge rules government can\u2019t stop SNAP dollars from buying candy and sugary drinks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The federal government can\u2019t block benefits from the nation\u2019s largest food aid program from being used to\u00a0buy candy, soda and other sugary drinks, a judge ruled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Justice Department withdraws subpoenas that sought reporters\u2019 grand jury testimony, sources say<\/a><\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s ruling scuttles restrictions now in place or planned for the federally funded and state-run Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 23 states. President Donald Trump\u2019s administration has not said whether it will appeal to a higher court.<\/span><\/p>\n

US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who sits in Washington and was nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama, said in her opinion that the ruling was because the federal government did not follow its own definition of \u201cfood.\u201d She said it wasn\u2019t a comment on whether the restrictions are a good idea.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe federal defendants and the states may have a genuine desire to improve the health of SNAP households by encouraging healthy choices at the store, and they can take lawful steps to meet those goals,\u201d she wrote. \u201cBut what they cannot do is violate the law and their own regulations along the way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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