A federal court blocked the Trump administration from taking initial steps to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) on Monday, marking a major victory for defenders of the marquee climate research hub headquartered in Boulder.
Colorado U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson issued the temporary injunction in response to a lawsuit filed in March by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, the nonprofit overseeing NCAR.
The complaint argues that the federal government targeted the center as a part of a “campaign of retribution” against Colorado for imprisoning former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, violating administrative procedures.
Earlier in the day, Peters walked free after Gov. Jared Polis commuted her sentence. There’s no evidence that the timing of the court decision has any connection to Peter’s release.
While the injunction isn’t a final ruling, the court found that the case would likely succeed on its merits. As a result, Jackson ordered the National Science Foundation to pause efforts to give a third-party operator control over the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center, a facility in Cheyenne, Wyo., built to assist climate and weather research.
“We see a big win here today,” said Carlos Martinez, a senior climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists who is coordinating efforts to defend NCAR. “I hope this gives some hope and motivation for people who believe in science.”
Temporary relief for the ‘mothership of climate science’
The decision marks a major setback for the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle NCAR, a sprawling entity with about 830 employees focused on studying the Earth’s atmosphere to improve weather prediction.
A major portion of the injunction focuses on the timeline surrounding those actions.
The saga detailed in the lawsuit began in December 2025, when President Trump called Gov. Polis a “weak and pathetic man” in a post criticizing Colorado’s handling of Peters, who was sentenced to nine years in prison for her role in tampering with Mesa County voting equipment following the 2020 election.
The next day, in a post on X, White House Budget Director Russell Vought announced plans to dismantle NCAR. Since it had become one of the “largest sources of climate alarmism,” he promised the NSF would begin a process to transfer any of its vital activities to other organizations and locations.
The NSF followed through more than a month later by asking the scientific community for ways to “restructure” NCAR. It also announced plans to transition the Wyoming supercomputing center to a third-party entity. The University of Wyoming jointly manages the facility, and later confirmed that the federal government had offered it a chance to take it over entirely.
Other federal actions around the same time targeted Colorado. The same week Vought promised to break up NCAR, for example, the Department of Transportation canceled $109 million in transportation grants for Colorado projects.
In the injunction, Jackson decided that the federal government acted illegally because it never explained why UCAR shouldn’t control the supercomputer facility. The Trump administration also failed to consider public feedback collected before the announcement.
He also noted that the timing suggests “retaliation played at least some role” in federal actions around the climate hub.
“To the extent that the transfer decision was motivated, even in part, by political or personal animus, as opposed to an analysis of the relevant facts and data, it would demonstrate that the agency acted arbitrarily and capriciously,” Jackson wrote.
It’s unclear whether the NSF will appeal the injunction to an appellate court. A spokesman for the agency declined to comment on the decision or explain how its attorneys would proceed.
The possibility of an appeal is why Martinez is “cautiously optimistic” about the case. If it moves forward, he’s glad at least one judge has concluded there’s a good chance the federal government violated its own legal procedures in a potential attempt to punish Colorado.
“It’s kind of a wait-and-see, but this is very promising news,” Martinez said.
In a statement posted online, interim UCAR President Eric Barron said the supercomputer facility will continue its “vital work” without interruption, helping NCAR continue to pursue advances in weather modeling and forecasting.
“We are pleased that Judge Jackson recognized how damaging the proposed transfer of the [supercomputer] to another operator would be for the nation’s scientific community,” Barron said.
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