A federal judge once again barred the Trump administration from conducting mass layoffs across wide swathes of the federal government during the shutdown, this time on a more permanent basis.
Judge Susan Illston in the District Court for the Northern District of California verbally issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday against reductions-in-force for federal workers represented by a coalition of several unions. The preliminary injunction effectively extends her temporary restraining order first issued on Oct. 15.
The Trump administration is now barred from going through with its plans to fire thousands of additional workers across the government while the shutdown drags into its fourth week. The administration issued RIF notices to about 3,000 workers before the initial restraining order went into effect.