US district court judge rules that Sunrise Wind can resume construction

A federal judge for the DC District Court has allowed Sunrise Wind to resume work after granting a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s lease suspension and construction pause issued December 22, 2025. 

On Feb.2, DC District Judge Royce Lamberth issued the preliminary injunction after agreeing that irreparable harm standards were met given the loss of specialized vessels that would leave the US market if the suspension continued.

Previously, Judge Lamberth ruled in favor of Revolution Wind’s construction resumption twice, most recently under the same lease suspension and stop construction order affecting Sunrise Wind; and again in September 2025 when the federal administration issued a stop work order directly for Revolution Wind. 

The administration referenced undisclosed "national security concerns" that arose from a recent classified Department of War study. That study alleged that turbine structures caused interference with military radar systems.   

Danish company Orsted sued the administration over halting both its Sunrise Wind project, aimed at the New York market, and its Revolution Wind project, which is targeting the Rhode Island and Connecticut markets. 

Orsted said that it would resume work on Sunrise Wind as soon as possible. The project is roughly 45% complete and is expected to be operational next year.

The ruling means that all five projects that had been in limbo since December, when the Trump administration issued stop work orders, can now resume construction. 

Besides Sunrise Wind, this includes Revolution Wind in Rhode Island and Connecticut; Empire Wind in New York; the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project in Virginia; and Vineyard Wind in Massachusetts. 

Each of the project’s developers had filed a lawsuit against the orders, and now, all have received a preliminary injunction allowing construction to proceed.

Editor’s note: A preliminary injunction in US federal courts is a temporary court order issued to maintain the status quo and prevent irreparable harm while a case is litigated. Unlike a temporary restraining order, which typically lasts no more than 14 days (or up to 28 with an extension for good cause), a preliminary injunction remains in effect until the court issues a further order, which could happen after discovery, motions practice, or a full trial on the merits. This means that a preliminary injunction can last for months or even years, depending on the complexity of the case, court docket, and any appeals. Analysts say that in high-profile litigation like offshore wind energy cases, the underlying merits challenges could take 6–18 months or longer to resolve, but the preliminary injunction will hold until then unless dissolved earlier – e.g., if new evidence emerges or the government prevails on a motion to dismiss.