The ruling by District Judge Angel Kelley, who was nominated by President Biden in 2021, halts the policy pending further court arguments from states and the Trump administration. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 21. 

"We will not allow the Trump Administration to unlawfully undermine our economy, hamstring our competitiveness, or play politics with our public health," had said Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

The pause is limited to research institutions in the states that joined the lawsuit. Those include California, New York and North Carolina, which together with Massachusetts rank among the top five recipients of NIH grant funding by state.