Judge Rules Trump Administration Likely Violates Layoff Injunction at State, HUD

Federal Judge Susan Illston has ruled that the Trump administration violated her preliminary injunction that halted mass layoffs across multiple federal agencies following President Trump's February executive order aimed at government downsizing. The injunction, initially a temporary restraining order, blocks the Office of Personnel Management, Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Government Efficiency from proceeding with layoffs, citing lack of statutory authority. Despite the injunction, the State Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have continued with planned layoffs, prompting Illston to demand the administration prove these actions do not violate her order. The administration contends that some layoffs, particularly at the State Department, are separate from the president's downsizing order and thus exempt from the injunction, a claim the judge has largely rejected. Labor unions represented by the AFL-CIO and related groups accuse the administration of deliberately circumventing the court's order, highlighting a significant legal battle over the scope of executive authority in federal workforce reductions. The Trump administration has appealed to the Supreme Court to lift the injunction after a lower appellate court declined to stay it.