A federal judge in San Francisco has blocked the Trump administration from laying off hundreds of federal employees, ruling that the dismissals violate a law passed last month to end a 43-day government shutdown. District Judge Susan Illston said the layoffs at four agencies were likely unlawful under the continuing resolution, which prohibits agencies from implementing layoffs through 30 January.
Judge Illston, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, said she would prevent the State Department and Education Department from cutting about 250 and 150 jobs respectively, pending the outcome of a lawsuit brought by unions. She also ordered the State Department, Defense Department, General Services Administration, and Small Business Administration to reinstate roughly 300 employees who lost their jobs during the shutdown.
Illston criticised the chaotic nature of the layoffs, noting they have affected workers through loss of alternative job opportunities and healthcare coverage. She said she would issue a written order later on Wednesday and may pause part of her ruling until next week to allow the government time to appeal, aiming to avoid further “whiplash” for federal employees who have faced repeated layoffs and reinstatements.
The unions involved praised the decision. Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, a legal group representing the unions, said: “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.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration argued that the law does not apply to job cuts announced before the shutdown began on 1 October, such as those at the State and Education Departments. However, Illston disagreed, siding with the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions. The lawsuit, originally filed in October, sought to block more than 4,000 layoffs at several agencies during the shutdown.
