Tens of millions of Americans who receive food assistance have been in danger of losing those benefits as the government shutdown crawls into its second month. But Friday brought a potential lifeline: A federal court ruling ordered the Trump administration to release emergency funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

On Friday, Judge John J. McConnell, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, ruled that the Trump administration must release funds from the $5.5 billion SNAP contingency fund and other potential pots of money in order to keep the program going. The contingency fund is meant to be tapped in emergency situations.

The White House recently claimed that the contingency fund could not be used to fund regular SNAP benefits. McConnell side

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