Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Admin’s Mass Firings of Federal Workers

Plaintiffs claim the president exceeded his authority by ordering agency layoffs without Congress approval.

A federal worker (R), who lost her job gets help carrying some of her belongings from her office at the Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building that houses the US Department of Health and Human Services, in Washington on April 1, 2025. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

A federal judge on May 9 temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out large-scale workforce reductions and reorganization plans across government agencies.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston sided with a group of labor unions, nonprofit organizations, and local governments who argued that President Donald Trump overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order directing agency leaders to initiate large-scale “reductions in force” without getting approval from Congress.