A United States District Judge issued a temporary restraining order
US: The Trump administration’s massive attempts to cut the federal workforce were halted on Friday by a temporary restraining order granted by a United States district court. According to Reuters, Northern California District Judge Susan Illston stopped widespread mass layoffs known as “reductions in force” for 14 days after siding with a coalition of unions, charity organizations, and municipal governments.
Delivered from a San Francisco courthouse, the decision addresses litigation that local governments, nonprofits, and labor unions brought to contest the legitimacy of the administration’s actions.
Two dozen agencies are unable to proceed with the most significant part of the president’s reduction efforts, which the court said were unlawful without Congress’s approval, due to the two-week halt in the Trump administration’s mass layoff plans.
In an effort to cut federal spending and the size of government, the Trump administration promised to eradicate what it views as waste, fraud, and abuse across federal agencies, as Newsweek has reported.
A task group headed by billionaire Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was created by the White House as part of that endeavor and has suggested significant employment reductions.
Through personnel reductions, the elimination of unnecessary positions, and function automation, the administration’s downsizing strategy seeks to simplify federal agencies. Plaintiffs countered that these actions were beyond the president’s and agency’s power and interfered with essential government functions.
Trump’s attempts to reduce what he described as a “bloated” federal government have resulted in the firing of thousands of federal employees. Numerous lawsuits have been filed against the government, some of which were brought by unions that represent recently fired workers.
Judge Illston acknowledged that some legal claims had a chance of success and pointed out the possible irreversible damage to impacted communities and workers.
Several agencies are impacted by the restraining order, including the Social Security Administration, Agriculture, Energy, and Labor.
According to The New York Times, Judge Illston said in a 42-page ruling, “Presidents have the right to establish new policy goals and to leave their mark on the federal government.
“But to make large-scale overhauls of federal agencies, any president must enlist the help of his co-equal branch and partner, the Congress.”
As reported by The New York Times, the alliance stated in a joint statement, “Critical services throughout our country have been disrupted by the Trump administration’s illegal effort to restructure the federal government, which has plunged agencies into confusion. Every one of us speaks for communities that have a strong stake in the federal government’s effectiveness; firing federal workers and rearranging government operations arbitrarily does not accomplish that.
According to ABC News, deputy assistant attorney general Eric Hamilton stated, “It expressly invites comments and proposals for legislative engagement as part of policies that those agencies wish to implement […] It is setting out guidance.” Hamilton was referring to the original memo that called for extensive staff reductions and reorganization plans.
According to ABC News, plaintiffs’ lawyer Danielle Leonard said that the president, DOGE, and OPM were “making decisions outside of their authority and not inviting dialogue from agencies.”
“They don’t want to wait for these planning papers to pass lengthy procedures. They’re neither requesting nor anticipating permission.
According to The Associated Press, the directive does not mandate that agencies rehire employees. “Plaintiffs asked that the effective date of any agency action be postponed and that departments stop implementing or enforcing the executive order, including taking any further action.” According to Reuters, Illston has set a hearing on May 22 to discuss a longer-term interim injunction.
