A federal judge in San Francisco has blocked President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the federal government for two weeks.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled the restructuring required congressional approval, which she said Trump didn’t get.
Siding with the plaintiffs consisting of labor unions, nonprofits and local governments, Illston issued a temporary restraining order against the Republican president’s mass layoffs for 14 days, as reported by various media outlets. While pausing the layoffs, the order doesn’t require the Trump administration to rehire anyone.
The judge, who was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton, scheduled a hearing on May 22 to consider a preliminary injunction. It would last longer than her temporary restraining order, which she issued Friday evening.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the Trump administration include the cities of San Francisco, Chicago and Baltimore; the American Federation of Government Employees and the nonprofits Alliance for Retired Americans, Center for Taxpayer Rights and Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks.
Based on their evidence, plaintiffs are likely to succeed on some of their claims in the lawsuit, Illston said.
Trump has the authority to restructure federal departments and agencies created by Congress, but can only carry out that power with approval from the legislative branch, the judge said.
Illston’s temporary restraining order applies to departments such as Agriculture, Energy, Labor, Interior, State, Treasury and Veteran Affairs and agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration.
Trump on Feb. 11 issued an executive order requiring government agencies to work with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency to identify areas for mass layoffs.
