A federal judge in San Francisco on Wednesday (October 15) has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from firing federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown, marking a setback for the White House’s efforts to reduce the size of government amid a standoff.

US District Judge Susan Illston issued the emergency order after several federal agencies began issuing layoff notices last week as part of a broader plan to downsize the government.

“It’s very much ready, fire, aim on most of these programs, and it has a human cost,” Judge Illston said in court. “It’s a human cost that cannot be tolerated.”

The American Federation of Government Employees and other labor unions filed for an emergency restraining order, accusing the administration of using the layoffs as a political we

See Full Page