Judge Freezes 4,000 Trump Administration Layoffs

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco converted a temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction that bars the Trump administration — including OPM, OMB and nearly 40 federal agencies — from issuing or implementing reduction-in-force (RIF) notices during the government shutdown. The order freezes roughly 4,000 RIF notices reportedly issued on Oct. 10 and blocks White House plans that officials said could exceed 10,000 layoffs nationwide. Unions AFSCME and AFGE, represented by Democracy Forward, said the injunction protects civil servants from what they argue were unlawful mid-shutdown firings. Illston rejected the administration’s argument that a lapse in appropriations gave agencies new authority to fire workers, said evidence may show the mass firings were illegal, and reserved the option to hold further proceedings to resolve disputes over certain RIFs. The Justice Department defended the firings as lawful and the administration is expected to appeal to the 9th Circuit, while the injunction remains in place as the unions’ lawsuit proceeds.