Latest news with #JudgeSusanIllston
BBC News
31-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Trump's mass firings to remain on hold, appeals court rules
Mass firings of federal employees which were ordered by US President Donald Trump will remain paused, an appeals court has Trump had signed an executive order in February directing agency heads to begin "large-scale reductions" in staffing. Those efforts to slash the federal workforce were halted by a California judge earlier this Friday in a 2-1 ruling, a San Francisco-based appeals court denied the Trump administration's request to unfreeze that injunction. It is likely the administration will now ask the US Supreme Court to weigh in. "The Executive Order at issue here far exceeds the President's supervisory powers under the Constitution," the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals wrote. "The President enjoys significant removal power with respect to the appointed officers of federal agencies."The Trump administration had sought an emergency stay of an injunction which had been given by Judge Susan Illston of San Francisco. The judge questioned how an overhaul of federal agencies could be actioned without congressional case was brought by federal employees unions, local governments and non-profits who argued against Trump's executive order, as well as directives which were issued by the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget to implement Trump's cuts are part of the Trump administrations efforts to curtail government spending through funding freezes and firings - led by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).Trump has repeatedly promised to slash government spending and reduce the federal workforce. He tasked billionaire Elon Musk and Doge with leading that charge. Tens of thousands of federal workers have reportedly been fired, taken buyouts or been placed on leave since Trump took office. The Trump administration said they plan to fight back against the latest court ruling. "A single judge is attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch," the White House said in a statement to US media.
E&E News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Trump's layoffs still in limbo as judge extends freeze
A federal judge dealt another blow to the Trump administration's plans to downsize the government workforce Thursday, issuing an order pausing layoffs and reorganizations across much of the executive branch. Judge Susan Illston of the District Court for the Northern District of California issued a sweeping injunction doubling down on the temporary restraining order she had previously put in place to halt the administration's mass layoffs. Illston's latest move hands a victory to the employee unions, environmentalists and others who sued the administration, contending that it was illegally slashing the government without the necessary support from Congress. The court's injunction also intensifies the high-stakes legal brawl that tests President Donald Trump's executive authority. Advertisement The Trump administration has already asked the Supreme Court to intervene following Illston's initial temporary restraining order. That court hasn't yet weighed in on the request.
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Judge extends order blocking Trump's mass federal worker layoffs
A federal judge has extended her freeze on President Donald Trump's plan for mass layoffs and reorganizations at 22 federal agencies until a lawsuit against his administration is resolved, saying the president 'likely must' seek approval from Congress before carrying out such widespread changes. Judge Susan Illston issued the order granting a preliminary injunction Thursday in a case filed against President Donald Trump and others in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chicago mayor praises court order blocking Trump's federal job cuts
The Brief A federal judge has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from firing federal workers as part of a controversial government reorganization plan. The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by a coalition that includes the City of Chicago, several counties, unions, and nonprofit groups. Mayor Brandon Johnson said the decision helps protect public services and workers, calling the Trump plan "chaos and division." CHICAGO - The Trump administration must halt much of its dramatic downsizing of the federal workforce, a California judge ordered Friday. What we know Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco issued the emergency order in a lawsuit filed last week by labor unions and cities, one of multiple legal challenges to Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to shrink the size of a federal government he calls bloated and expensive. "The Court holds the President likely must request Congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks, and thus issues a temporary restraining order to pause large-scale reductions in force in the meantime," Illston wrote in her order. The temporary restraining order directs numerous federal agencies to halt acting on the president's workforce executive order signed in February and a subsequent memo issued by the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Personnel Management. The order, which expires in 14 days, does not require departments to rehire people. Plaintiffs asked that the effective date of any agency action be postponed and that departments stop implementing or enforcing the executive order, including taking any further action. They limited their request to departments where dismantlement is already underway or poised to be underway, including at the the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which announced in March it will lay off 10,000 workers and centralize divisions. Dig deeper Illston, who was nominated to the bench by former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, said at a hearing Friday the president has authority to seek changes in the executive branch departments and agencies created by Congress. "But he must do so in lawful ways," she said. "He must do so with the cooperation of Congress, the Constitution is structured that way." Trump has repeatedly said voters gave him a mandate to remake the federal government, and he tapped billionaire Elon Musk to lead the charge through DOGE. Tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired, left their jobs via deferred resignation programs or have been placed on leave as a result of Trump's government-shrinking efforts. There is no official figure for the job cuts, but at least 75,000 federal employees took deferred resignation, and thousands of probationary workers have already been let go. In her order, Illston gave several examples to show the impact of the downsizing. One union that represents federal workers who research health hazards faced by mineworkers said it was poised to lose 221 of 222 workers in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, office; a Vermont farmer didn't receive a timely inspection on his property to receive disaster aid after flooding and missed an important planting window; a reduction in Social Security Administration workers has led to longer wait times for recipients. All the agencies impacted were created by Congress, she noted. Lawyers for the government argued Friday that the executive order and memo calling for large-scale personnel reductions and reorganization plans provided only general principles that agencies should follow in exercising their own decision-making process. "It expressly invites comments and proposals for legislative engagement as part of policies that those agencies wish to implement," Eric Hamilton, a deputy assistant attorney general, said of the memo. "It is setting out guidance." But Danielle Leonard, an attorney for plaintiffs, said it was clear that the president, DOGE and OPM were making decisions outside of their authority and not inviting dialogue from agencies. "They are not waiting for these planning documents" to go through long processes, she said. "They're not asking for approval, and they're not waiting for it." The temporary restraining order applies to departments including the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Labor, Interior, State, Treasury and Veterans Affairs. It also applies to the National Science Foundation, Small Business Association, Social Security Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. Some of the labor unions and nonprofit groups are also plaintiffs in another lawsuit before a San Francisco judge challenging the mass firings of probationary workers. In that case, Judge William Alsup ordered the government in March to reinstate those workers, but the U.S. Supreme Court later blocked his order. Plaintiffs include the cities of San Francisco, Chicago and Baltimore; labor group American Federation of Government Employees; and nonprofit groups Alliance for Retired Americans, Center for Taxpayer Rights and Coalition to Protect America's National Parks. Local perspective The City of Chicago joined the lawsuit, arguing the Trump administration's moves to "dismantle, downsize, or otherwise transform federal agencies without Congressional approval" were unlawful and would jeopardize essential services. Chicago officials say the cuts would affect local operations in weather and emergency preparedness, disaster response, environmental protection, and public health. Among the concerns: Loss of real-time weather data from the National Weather Service could affect planning for large events like Lollapalooza and NASCAR Chicago. FEMA cuts could weaken the city's ability to respond to major disasters, like severe weather. Fewer EPA staff could impact the city's ability to handle contaminated sites like brownfields, which are sites that used to house industrial or commercial properties suspected of containing hazardous substances, according to the University of Illinois at Chicago. Public health cuts could hamper the city's disease response and access to national data. What they're saying Mayor Brandon Johnson welcomed the court's decision in a statement on Saturday. "We are pleased with the U.S. District Court's ruling, temporarily restraining President Trump's administration from reorganizing our government in a way that sows chaos and division. Today and every day, Chicago stands with working people. We will continue to push back against the federal government's policies that harm our people. I am grateful to the cities and labor unions across the nation that took this stand and filed suit with Chicago; our continued unity is going to be vital as we work to preserve our democracy and invest in our communities." The Source The information in this article came from the Associated Press, a statement provided by the Chicago mayor's office, and previous FOX 32 reporting.
Bloomberg
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump Must Halt Mass Layoffs of Federal Workers, Judge Rules
The Trump administration must temporarily cease from engaging in widespread layoffs and firings for government workers, a California federal court ruled Friday. President Donald Trump's February executive order calling for a radical reorganization of the federal workforce likely violates the Constitution, Judge Susan Illston of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said.
