WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. District Judge John Bates, who previously ruled against the Trump administration on issues related to gender identity policies, is facing scrutiny over his wife’s nonprofit ties. Carol Rhees, Bates’ wife, is the founder of Hope for Children in Ethiopia, a nonprofit organization that has received funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Bates, appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush, ordered the Trump administration to restore web pages related to gender identity and sex change policies across various government agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rhees established her nonprofit after a visit to Ethiopia in 2003, later expanding its mission to support children affected by AIDS. Tax records show the organization operates out of Bethesda, Maryland, where the couple resides.
While the US AID site has been decommissioned, a search of the Wayback Machine, an internet archive, shows that Rhees’ Hope for Children received funding from US AID. Tax returns show between 2013 and 2021, the organization received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants.
Critics have raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest, though there is no direct evidence linking the judge’s rulings to his wife’s nonprofit activities.