A federal judge in the United States has signalled she will block the Trump administration from laying off hundreds of federal employees, delivering another legal blow to the president's efforts to reduce the size of the government workforce.
Judge Illston's Ruling Against Federal Layoffs
US District Judge Susan Illston, during a hearing in San Francisco on Wednesday, stated that hundreds of planned layoffs at four key agencies were likely unlawful under legislation Congress passed last month to conclude a protracted 43-day government shutdown.
Judge Illston, an appointee of former Democratic President Bill Clinton, highlighted the severe disruption caused to workers. "The chaotic nature of these has been continuing and has affected employees of the government in many ways, including loss of potential alternative jobs and loss of healthcare coverage," she remarked.
The judge indicated she would issue a formal written order later that day. Her preliminary decision would prevent the US State Department and the Department of Education from proceeding with approximately 250 and 150 layoffs respectively. This injunction is pending the final outcome of a lawsuit brought by unions representing the affected workers.
Reinstatement for Workers Laid Off During Shutdown
Furthermore, Judge Illston said she intended to order several agencies, including the State Department, the Defense Department, the General Services Administration, and the Small Business Administration, to reinstate roughly 300 individuals who lost their positions during the shutdown itself.
In a move acknowledging the turbulent situation for staff, the judge stated she would likely pause all or part of her ruling until the following week. This delay is to provide the government with time to lodge an appeal. Illston expressed a desire not to exacerbate the "whiplash" experienced by federal employees, many of whom have faced multiple cycles of layoffs and reinstatements this year.
Legal Battle and Union Response
The legal conflict centres on the interpretation of the continuing resolution law that ended the shutdown. This law explicitly prohibits agencies from implementing layoffs through 30 January. The Trump administration has contended that this restriction does not apply to job cuts that were announced before the shutdown began on 1 October, such as those at the State and Education departments.
Judge Illston rejected this argument during Wednesday's hearing, siding with the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions. The original lawsuit was filed in October seeking to block over 4,000 layoffs at several agencies during the shutdown. In a prior ruling, Illston had already found in the unions' favour, stating that executing layoffs did not constitute an essential government service permitted to continue during a funding lapse.
The unions involved welcomed the judge's latest decision. Skye Perryman, president of the legal group Democracy Forward which is representing the unions, issued a sharp critique of the administration. "No one should be surprised when President Trump breaks his word, but to directly contradict a law he just signed himself is an unfortunate reminder that we cannot trust a single thing this president and his administration says or does," Perryman said.
The White House did not provide an immediate comment on the ruling. The case continues to underscore the ongoing tension between the executive branch's push to streamline federal operations and legislative and judicial checks on that power.
