A federal judge in California has delivered a significant blow to President Donald Trump’s plan to slash federal jobs during the ongoing government shutdown, ordering the administration to halt mass layoffs while the legality of the cuts is reviewed. The ruling offers a vital reprieve to thousands of federal workers caught in the crosshairs of what many see as a politically motivated purge.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, presiding in San Francisco, responded to claims by unions that the layoffs are illegal. In her decision Wednesday, she blocked planned job cuts at more than 30 federal agencies, allowing the unions’ case to proceed, Reuters reports. This temporary injunction strikes at the heart of Trump’s aggressive shutdown strategy, which has now stretched into its 15th day.
The Trump administration has been blunt about its intentions. White House Budget Director Russell Vought openly stated on “The Charlie Kirk Show” that more than 10,000 federal workers could lose their jobs as a result of the shutdown. Trump himself boasted publicly that the layoffs would predominantly hit “Democrat agencies,” signaling a clear political motive behind the cuts.
“You can’t do that in a nation of laws. And we have laws here, and the things that are being articulated here are not within the law,” Judge Illston said, directly addressing Trump’s comments. Her ruling points to the administration’s blatant political targeting as a violation of federal law.
The two unions behind the lawsuit—the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees—argue that these layoffs are unjustifiable. Most federal workers have been furloughed without pay during the shutdown, and the unions say the administration’s move to terminate thousands of employees isn’t a necessary government function that can continue during the funding lapse.
“Our civil servants do the work of the people, and playing games with their livelihoods is cruel and unlawful and a threat to everyone in our nation,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, the legal group representing the unions.
In addition to halting the layoffs, Judge Illston ordered the administration to provide a detailed report by Friday on any “actual or imminent” job cuts and the measures agencies are taking to comply with her ruling. This demands transparency at a time when the government has largely operated in the shadows.
The Department of Justice, defending the administration, declined to address the legality of the layoffs at the hearing. DOJ lawyer Elizabeth Hedges argued instead that the unions should first bring their complaints to a federal labor board before filing suit. Illston was having none of it.
“The hatchet is falling on the heads of employees all across the nation, and you’re not even prepared to address whether that’s legal,” she reprimanded the DOJ, underscoring the urgency and severity of the situation.
Meanwhile, the political stalemate continues. Despite holding majorities in both chambers of Congress, Republicans need Democratic votes to pass a spending bill in the Senate. Democrats remain firm, demanding an extension of health-insurance subsidies before offering any support. Their refusal to give in to Trump’s pressure tactics has already derailed a fresh funding proposal.
As the shutdown drags on, federal workers remain stuck in the crossfire. Judge Illston’s ruling shines a rare light of hope, pushing back against what many see as an unlawful weaponization of government employees. But with an appeal almost certain, the fight over the future of thousands of government jobs is far from over.
