A US district judge in California has temporarily blocked several federal agencies from implementing the large-scale dismissal of government employees ordered by President Donald Trump in February.
Judge Susan Illston issued a two-week suspension on Friday, asserting that these measures likely require Congressional approval.
“The Court concludes that the President likely needs to seek Congress’s cooperation for the changes he desires, and thus issues a temporary restraining order to halt the large-scale staff reductions in the meantime,” Illston stated in her ruling.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has directed federal agencies to devise significant workforce reduction plans, as part of efforts led by the Government Efficiency Commission (Doge), chaired by billionaire Elon Musk, to reduce the size of the federal administration.
In an executive order on 11 February, Trump called for a “critical transformation of the federal bureaucracy” and instructed agencies to dismiss employees deemed non-essential.
Last week, a coalition comprising unions, non-profit groups, and six cities and counties sued Trump, Doge, and federal agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). They argued that these entities had overstepped their authority by implementing mass layoffs without Congressional approval.
