Federal judge blocks Trump administration from firing workers during government shutdown

• A federal judge blocked Trump administration from firing workers.
• The ruling applies during the ongoing government shutdown.
• Judge Susan Illston said layoffs appeared politically motivated.
• She called the cuts a “human cost that cannot be tolerated.”

A federal judge ordered on Wednesday that the Trump administration must halt the dismissal of federal employees amid the ongoing government shutdown.

US District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco described the planned layoffs as politically motivated and executed without sufficient consideration. She said, “It’s very much ready, fire, aim on most of these programs, and it has a human cost. It’s a human cost that cannot be tolerated.”

Illston granted a temporary restraining order against the job cuts, indicating that the evidence may ultimately show the firings were illegal and exceeded the administration’s authority.

The ruling comes after federal agencies began issuing layoff notices last Friday as part of efforts by the Republican-led administration to pressure Democratic lawmakers during the third week of the shutdown, which began on October 1.

The American Federation of Government Employees and other federal unions had petitioned the court to block both new and previously issued layoff notices, arguing that the firings were an abuse of power intended to punish workers and influence Congress.

Democrats have insisted that any agreement to reopen the government must include extensions of health care subsidies first implemented in 2021, as well as the reversal of Medicaid cuts enacted in Trump’s recent tax and spending legislation. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson warned the shutdown could become the longest in history, refusing to negotiate until Democrats paused their demands.

The Trump administration has continued funding the military and immigration enforcement while cutting jobs in health, education, and special programs, including after-school services. In court filings, the administration reported plans to terminate more than 4,100 employees across eight agencies, claiming that a temporary lapse in funding nullifies congressional authorization for agency programs.

The unions countered that the layoffs are illegal political retribution, while the government argued that the court lacks jurisdiction over employment decisions made by federal agencies.