US EditionJudge Rules Layoffs Likely Violated Shutdown Funding Deal
Judge Illston ordered agencies to reinstate about 680 federal employees fired during the shutdown and halt layoffs through Jan. 30, 2026, citing violations of the continuing resolution.
- On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the Departments of State and Education, Small Business Administration, and General Services Administration to rescind reduction-in-force notices for employees terminated between Oct. 1 and Nov. 12, blocking layoffs until the funding measure expires.
- The continuing resolution passed on Nov. 12, 2025 bars agencies from carrying out RIFs and contains rollback language, while the October lawsuit seeks to block more than 4,000 layoffs after an OMB memorandum.
- Agency breakdown shows Illston's order will impact about 680 federal employees, including nearly 250 Foreign Service officers at the State Department, 200 at GSA, 150 at the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, and nearly 80 at SBA.
- Illston said she would likely pause parts of the ruling until next week to allow an appeal, and absent a higher-court reversal, agencies have until Dec. 23 to comply.
- Illston noted the 'chaotic' nature of the firings and federal workers experiencing 'whiplash' and related harms, while Justice Department attorneys warned logistical concerns about rehiring would make rescinding separations 'awfully hard to unscramble that egg.
16 Articles
16 Articles
U.S. judge orders rescission of RIFs that likely ran afoul of shutdown deal
A federal judge in California expanded relief from shutdown-related RIFs to more federal workers in a Wednesday ruling, ordering several agencies to reverse terminations and halt additional staff cuts until the end of January. In a preliminary injunction, Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California sided with federal worker unions’ interpretation of language in the shutdown resolution that reversed and …
Judge rules layoffs likely violated shutdown funding deal
A federal judge reversed the terminations of hundreds of government employees Wednesday, ruling that the Trump administration likely violated the terms of the funding deal that ended the longest-ever government shutdown. That deal prohibits agencies from carrying out a reduction in force (RIF) until Jan. 30. The Trump administration asserted that RIFs announced prior to the shutdown could still move ahead, but U.S. District Judge Susan Illston…
The Epoch Times
US Judge Plans to Block Hundreds of Trump Admin Layoffs
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston stated during a court hearing that she would block the departments of State and Education from moving forward with approximately 250 and 150 layoffs, respectively. The decision comes after a lawsuit filed in October by unions challenging the Trump administration’s plans to shrink the federal workforce. Illston also noted she would require the rehiring of about 300 employees laid off amid the 43-day shutdown that…
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