'Illegal, exceeds authority': US judge temporarily blocks Trump admin's job cuts amid govt shutdown; cites 'human cost'

A US federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from laying off federal employees amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Judge Susan Illston described the planned cuts as "illegal" and "exceeding authority" During a Wednesday hearing in San Francisco, she pressed the assistant US attorney to justify the more than 4,100 layoff notices sent across eight government agencies, despite furloughed workers lacking access to their work emails and HR support.

“It is very much ready, fire, aim on most of these programmes, and it has a human cost that cannot be tolerated. The evidence would ultimately show the cuts were illegal and in excess of authority,” Illston remarked, according to The Associated Press.

The restraining order was issued in response to a petition from the American Federation of Government Employees and other federal labour unions, who sought to block both new and previously issued layoff notices.

The shutdown, which began on October 1, entered its third week amid a stalemate between the Republicans and Democrats. Democratic lawmakers are demanding that any funding deal include healthcare provisions, while House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, warned the shutdown could become the “longest in history” and said he “will not negotiate” until Democrats pause their demands.

Lawmakers are seeking an extension of healthcare subsidies first introduced in 2021 and renewed a year later, as well as a reversal of Medicaid cuts included in Trump’s recent tax and spending legislation.