# Adam B. Abelson *American lawyer and United States district judge, District of Maryland* Adam Ben Abelson (born 1982) is an American lawyer and federal judge. He has been a district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland since 2024. Before that, he was a magistrate judge on the same court from 2023 to 2024.[^1] On June 17, 2025, according to the project's validated master record, Abelson found arbitrary and capricious the February 2025 termination of an Environmental Protection Agency [[Environmental justice]] grantmaker role. His ruling restored $180 million across three grantmakers, $60 million to each.[^2] The suit had been filed in April 2025 together with the [[Green & Healthy Homes Initiative]] and [[Philanthropy Northwest]].[^2] The Region 5 grantmaker role had been announced on December 20, 2023, at $50 million. The same record gives $60 million per grantmaker as the amount restored by the June 2025 ruling.[^2] ## Education Abelson was raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Princeton University awarded him a Bachelor of Arts cum laude in 2005. New York University School of Law awarded him a Juris Doctor magna cum laude in 2010.[^1] ## Career After law school Abelson clerked for two federal judges. The first was Judge Catherine C. Blake of the District of Maryland, from 2010 to 2011. The second was Judge Andre M. Davis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, from 2011 to 2012. He then practiced law at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP from 2012 until 2023.[^1] ### Federal judicial service Abelson took office as a magistrate judge on September 18, 2023. The appointment carried an eight-year term running to 2031, but he did not serve it out because he was instead appointed a district judge.[^1] ### District court service President Joe Biden announced on May 8, 2024, that he intended to nominate Abelson to the District of Maryland bench. The seat had been held by Judge James K. Bredar, who took senior status on April 30, 2024. The nomination reached the [[United States Senate]] on May 14, 2024.[^1] The Senate Judiciary Committee heard the nomination on June 5, 2024. On July 11, 2024, the committee advanced it by a vote of 12–9.[^1] The Senate voted 50–40 for cloture on September 9, 2024. On September 10, 2024, it confirmed Abelson by a vote of 53–43.[^1] His judicial commission is dated September 12, 2024, and he took the oath of office on September 16, 2024.[^1] ### Notable cases On February 21, 2025, Abelson preliminarily enjoined three provisions of executive orders 14151 and 14173. Those provisions would have ended all federal equity-related grants and contracts. They would also have required federal contractors to certify, for purposes of FCA liability, that they do not operate DEI programs. His opinion found that the order left terms such as "DEI" undefined.[^1] On June 17, 2025, in the suit over the Environmental Protection Agency's February 2025 termination of the environmental justice grantmaker role, Abelson found the termination arbitrary and capricious. He restored $180 million across three grantmakers, $60 million each.[^2] ## In the Minnesota record ### What - In the June 17, 2025 ruling, the court found the termination of an EPA environmental justice grantmaker role arbitrary and capricious. The ruling restored $180 million across three grantmakers, $60 million each.[^2] ### When - The grantmaker role was announced on December 20, 2023, at $50 million. The EPA terminated it in February 2025. The suit was filed in April 2025, and the ruling came on June 17, 2025.[^2] ### Where - The grantmaker role was in EPA Region 5. The ruling issued from the District of Maryland.[^2] ### Who - The suit was filed together with the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative and Philanthropy Northwest. Judge Adam B. Abelson decided it.[^2] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Adam B. Abelson* (revision 1350540303, retrieved 2026-10-26; CC BY-SA 4.0) — establishes birth year, education, clerkships, private practice, magistrate and district judgeship dates, nomination and Senate votes, and the February 21, 2025 preliminary injunction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_B._Abelson [^2]: How Minnesota Got Here (merged master, footnoted), note [35] (validated; marked primary-confirmed in the master) — establishes the $50M announcement of December 20, 2023 (Region 5), the February 2025 termination, the April 2025 suit and the June 17, 2025 ruling restoring $180M ($60M each). No URL for this source is in the pack.