By Luc Cohen

Oct 11 (Reuters) - A US judge on Sunday blocked the Trump administration from using taxpayer money to pay for political advertisements, after ‌publicly funded television ads glorifying US President Donald Trump began airing in ‌late September and sparked a bipartisan backlash.

Manhattan-based US District Judge Jennifer Rochon temporarily barred the advertisements after ​plaintiffs including watchdog group Common Cause brought a lawsuit alleging the ads were political propaganda designed to help Republican candidates in the November 3 midterm elections, not public service announcements.

The Trump administration was already planning to stop running the ads before Rochon's order, ‌according to a separate statement ⁠filed with the court on Saturday.

The decision caps days of controversy over the taxpayer-funded advertisements, which were aired in the final weeks R...