Congestion Pricing Wins in Court After Lengthy Battle With Trump

Federal judge rules New York's congestion pricing toll is legal, handing a major victory to the state.

Published on Mar. 3, 2026

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A federal judge has ruled that New York's congestion pricing toll is legal and may continue, handing a major victory to the state in its defense of the first-in-the-nation traffic reduction plan. The 149-page decision by Judge Lewis J. Liman of Federal District Court in Manhattan ends, for now, a heated battle between Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Trump administration, which had tried for more than a year to kill the program.

Why it matters

Congestion pricing is a controversial but widely supported policy aimed at reducing traffic in dense urban areas by charging drivers a fee to enter certain zones. The ruling is a significant win for New York, which has faced legal challenges from the Trump administration and others who claimed the policy would harm the region's economy.

The details

The federal judge's ruling removes a major threat to New York's congestion pricing program, which still faces other lawsuits. The Trump administration had claimed, without offering evidence, that the tolling program would harm the region's economy. However, the judge sided with New York, which has become a staunch defender of the first-in-the-nation traffic reduction plan.

  • The federal judge's ruling was issued on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

The players

Kathy Hochul

The Governor of New York who has become a staunch defender of the congestion pricing program.

Lewis J. Liman

A federal judge in the Federal District Court in Manhattan who ruled that New York's congestion pricing toll is legal.

Donald Trump

The former President of the United States who led the White House's efforts to kill New York's congestion pricing program.

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What’s next

The ruling still faces other legal challenges, so the future of New York's congestion pricing program remains uncertain.

The takeaway

The federal judge's ruling is a significant victory for New York's congestion pricing program, which has faced fierce opposition from the Trump administration and others. However, the program still faces additional legal hurdles, underscoring the ongoing debate over the policy's merits and implementation.