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A federal judge on Friday ordered a temporary halt to President Donald Trump’s administration’s plans to restructure the federal government.
The judge ruled that the administration lacked congressional authorization to implement broad staffing cuts and agency overhauls.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued a 14-day restraining order from San Francisco.
The ruling prevents the administration from continuing with widespread layoffs referred to as “reductions in force.”
Illston’s ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of unions, nonprofit organizations, and local governments.
The plaintiffs argued that the restructuring effort violated administrative procedures and exceeded executive authority, the New York Post reported.
“As history demonstrates, the President may broadly restructure federal agencies only when authorized by Congress,” Illston stated in her decision.
The restructuring plan has been spearheaded by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), who has been appointed by Trump to lead the initiative.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment following the judge’s decision.
The Department of Government Efficiency has faced numerous legal challenges since its creation.
Trump had ordered federal agencies in February to coordinate with DOGE to identify positions for elimination. The goal, according to the administration, was to streamline operations and reduce redundancy.
As part of the plan, agencies were instructed to cut non-essential jobs, remove management layers, shut down field offices, and rely more on automation and fewer outside contractors.
The coalition opposing the overhaul released a statement calling the effort unlawful and disruptive. They said the restructuring had caused widespread uncertainty and interrupted vital public services.
The judge set a hearing for May 22 to determine whether to extend the restraining order into a longer-term preliminary injunction. Illston indicated that the plaintiffs had a strong chance of prevailing on some of their legal arguments.
The lawsuit, filed on April 28, alleges that Trump exceeded his authority and that agencies including the Office of Management and Budget, DOGE, and the Office of Personnel Management acted outside the bounds of the law.
Judge Illston ruled that the plaintiffs demonstrated the potential for irreparable harm if the administration continued with the layoffs during the legal process. She emphasized the need to preserve the current status of federal staffing.
In her ruling, Illston cited over 1,000 pages of evidence and 62 sworn declarations submitted by the plaintiffs to support their claims of harm and disruption.
Among the evidence, the judge noted the example of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Pittsburgh. According to the union, 221 of 222 workers there were terminated under the restructuring plan.
Similar staffing reductions were reported at local branches of programs such as Head Start, the Farm Service Agency, and the Social Security Administration.
Judge Illston emphasized that the case involved not just individual job losses, but the broader impact on communities dependent on these federal programs and services.
She wrote that the termination of salaries and benefits had the potential to disrupt families and communities across the country.
The temporary restraining order is the most extensive court action taken against the administration’s restructuring agenda to date.
The post Judge Halts Trump Admin’s Plans to Overhaul the Federal Government appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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