Federal Judge Halts Trump Administration’s Illegal Firing of Federal Workers During Shutdown

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately stop firing thousands of federal workers amid the ongoing government shutdown — siding with AFGE and AFSCME, who sued to block the mass layoffs.

Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the administration’s move to issue reduction-in-force (RIF) notices during the shutdown likely violates federal law and exceeds executive authority. The order halts all further firings and requires detailed reporting from the administration within two days.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley called the firings “cruel and unlawful,” while AFSCME President Lee Saunders said the ruling “affirms that these threatened mass firings are likely illegal.”

The lawsuit—filed by AFGE, AFSCME, and their legal partners Democracy Forward, Democracy Defenders Fund, and Altshuler Berzon LLP—argues that the administration’s actions break decades of precedent protecting federal employees during shutdowns.

“This is a major win for federal workers and the millions of Americans who depend on a functioning government,” said Norm Eisen of Democracy Defenders Fund.

Read the full statement from AFGE here and learn more at www.democracyforward.org.