Federal Court Blocks USDA From Making Colorado Recertify Food Stamp Recipients

Requiring the state to reassess recipients’ eligibility on a compressed timeline is illegal, a judge ruled.

A SNAP EBT information sign is displayed at a gas station in Riverwoods, Ill., on Nov. 1, 2025. Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo

A federal judge on March 16 affirmed an earlier order blocking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from forcing Colorado to recertify low-income families on food stamps, or risk losing the food assistance benefits.

USDA said it sought recertification of the eligibility of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to combat fraud.