Judge Blocks Trump Bid to Dismantle NCAR, Citing Political Retaliation Over 1 Colorado Commutation
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Jun 3
Judge Blocks Trump Bid to Dismantle NCAR, Citing Political Retaliation Over 1 Colorado Commutation
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Jun 3
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Monday halting the Trump administration’s plan to shut down Boulder’s National Center for Atmospheric Research and move some functions elsewhere.
The order said the administration showed no operational justification for dismantling NCAR and instead likely acted in political retaliation after Gov. Jared Polis commuted former clerk Tina Peters’ 9-year sentence.
Court filings pointed to Trump’s attacks on Polis, Russ Vought’s post branding NCAR a source of “climate alarmism,” and NSF’s admission it had not fully considered responses on NCAR’s future.
UCAR, which represents more than 100 universities and operates NCAR facilities, had sued to block the transfer of the Wyoming Supercomputing Center to a new operator.
NCAR is a federally funded hub for climate, weather and severe-storm research, and Colorado officials said the ruling protects forecasting, disaster preparedness, wildfire prevention and aviation safety.
How does this court ruling affect proposed new rules giving appointees final say over scientific grants?
If its supercomputer is relocated, what happens to America's ability to predict severe weather?
What does the battle over one research lab reveal about the future of all government-funded science?
NCAR Survives Political Retaliation: Court Injunction Protects National Climate Research Infrastructure
Overview
On June 1, 2026, Senior U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson issued a preliminary injunction that blocked the administration’s attempt to transfer the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center. This decision means the center will stay under the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) for now, marking the first major legal setback for efforts to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). UCAR convinced the court that the transfer would cause irreparable harm, including the loss of specialized employees and serious disruption to ongoing research projects, highlighting the critical role NCAR plays in national scientific infrastructure.