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On Friday, a federal judge issued a temporary suspension on the Trump administration’s plan to restructure various agencies and cut tens of thousands of federal workers as government overhauls are not permitted by Congress.
U.S. District Judge Susan Ilston filed the lawsuit on April 28, siding alongside unions, nonprofits and local government groups to provide a 14-day suspension for a massive layoff.
Ilston said Trump could restructure federal agencies widely, but could only be restructured in “legal ways” with approval from Congress.
“The president has the power to seek changes to the administrative body, but he must do so in a legitimate way and in the case of large-scale restructurings, through the cooperation of the legislative department,” Ilston said. “Many presidents have previously sought this cooperation, and many iterations of Congress have provided it.”
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Federal judges issued a temporary suspension on the Trump administration’s plans to restructure various agencies and carry out massive layoffs. (Reuters/Ra Milis)
“There is nothing to prevent the president from calling for this cooperation, just like he did in his previous term,” the judge continued. “In fact, the courts are likely to have to request that the president order changes he seeks to seek Congressional cooperation, so in the meantime they will issue temporary restraining orders to suspend massive cuts.”
Ilston’s ruling was the broadest of its kind for administrative efforts to review the federal government led by Elon Musk and Doge, the government’s Department of Efficiency.
Fox News Digital reached the White House for comment.
In February, Trump instructed the agency to work with DOGE to identify targets for large-scale layoffs as part of the administration’s plan to restructure the government.
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The ruling was the broadest of its kind in the administrative efforts led by Elon Musk and Dozi to review the federal government. (AP image)
The president directed the agencies to eliminate overlapping roles, unnecessary management layers and non-critical work, automate daily tasks, close local field offices, and reduce the use of external contractors.
The plaintiffs’ group said “illegal attempts to reorganize the federal government have cast in disarray the institutions and disrupt the vital services offered throughout our country.”
“Each of us represents a community that is deeply invested in federal efficiency. If we fire federal employees and reorganize government functions to annul the functioning of the government will not achieve that,” the group said in a statement.
Illston had scheduled a hearing on May 22nd on the potential interim injunction. She said the plaintiffs are likely to suffer irreparable harm without a temporary restraining order, she said it would preserve the status quo.
Trump had instructed the agency to work with DOGE to identify targets for the massive layoffs. (Getty Images)
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The judge said plaintiffs are likely to succeed in some of the merits of their claims. They accuse Trump of exceeding his authority, saying Doge, Management and Budget of Office, and Office of Office of Office exceeded his authority and violated administrative law.
“The courts here do not consider the potential loss of income for one individual employee, but the widespread termination of pay and benefits for individuals, families and communities,” Illston writes.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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