Particle.news
Download on the App Store
26 ARTICLES
·
3w ago

Judge Blocks Trump Shutdown Layoffs With Preliminary Injunction

The judge called the layoff plan likely unlawful, describing it as political retribution.

(Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Image
Vice President JD Vance arrives in the Capitol to attend the Senate Republicans’ lunch meeting Tuesday amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 15, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

Overview

  • The preliminary injunction halts new reductions-in-force notices and suspends implementation of shutdown-related layoffs already issued to union-represented workers.
  • Judge Susan Illston said the administration is likely to lose on claims that OMB and OPM overstepped their authority and misapplied shutdown law.
  • The court ordered the administration to provide an accounting of all RIFs issued on or after Oct. 1 and to detail compliance steps within 10 days.
  • The precise scope remains unsettled, with questions about coverage for the Interior Department, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and pre-shutdown notices likely requiring further proceedings.
  • Reports indicate roughly 4,000 workers were targeted, though a government filing cited just under 2,500 notices, and unions praised the ruling as they continue pressing Congress to fund the government.