Judge Halts Trump Administration’s Federal Layoffs Amid Government Shutdown

San Francisco, The Gulf Observer: A federal judge in California on Wednesday ordered the administration of President Donald Trump to halt mass layoffs of federal employees during the ongoing partial government shutdown, pending review of claims by unions that the job cuts are illegal.

At a hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted an injunction sought by two unions, effectively blocking the administration from proceeding with layoffs across more than 30 federal agencies while the case continues. The ruling provides a temporary reprieve for federal workers after nearly a year-long push by the Trump administration to significantly reduce the size of the federal workforce.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The administration had announced last week that it had begun large-scale layoffs amid the government shutdown, now in its 15th day, following through on President Trump’s earlier threat to reduce federal employment. Trump also issued an order on Wednesday extending a hiring freeze on new federal employees, with exemptions for military personnel and political appointees.

According to a Tuesday court filing, about 4,100 employees across eight agencies have already received layoff notices. White House Budget Director Russell Vought said earlier this week on The Charlie Kirk Show that as many as 10,000 federal workers could ultimately lose their jobs due to the shutdown.

In her ruling, Judge Illston cited public statements by Trump and Vought indicating political motivations behind the layoffs, including remarks by the president suggesting that reductions would target “Democrat agencies.”

“You can’t do that in a nation of laws. And we have laws here, and the things that are being articulated here are not within the law,”
— Judge Susan Illston

Illston, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, directed the administration to submit by Friday a detailed accounting of any actual or imminent layoffs, along with information on how federal agencies plan to comply with her order.

The Democracy Forward legal group, representing the unions, welcomed the ruling. “Our civil servants do the work of the people, and playing games with their livelihoods is cruel and unlawful and a threat to everyone in our nation,” said Skye Perryman, the group’s president and CEO.

During the hearing, Justice Department attorney Elizabeth Hedges argued that the unions should have taken their case to a federal labor board before filing a lawsuit. Judge Illston disagreed, sharply criticizing the Justice Department’s position.

“The hatchet is falling on the heads of employees all across the nation, and you’re not even prepared to address whether that’s legal,” she said.

The lawsuit was filed by the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, who contend that implementing layoffs during a shutdown violates federal law. They argue that layoffs are not an “essential service” and that most federal workers have already been furloughed without pay.

The partial shutdown continues amid a budget impasse between Republicans and Democrats. Although Trump’s party controls both chambers of Congress, Senate Republicans require at least seven Democratic votes to pass a funding bill. Democrats have refused to concede, insisting on an extension of health-insurance subsidies, while a renewed effort to pass a spending bill failed on Wednesday.