By JANIE HAR, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration for now must stop firing workers during the government shutdown , a federal judge ordered on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco said the cuts appeared politically motivated and were being carried out without much thought.

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

She granted a temporary restraining order blocking the cuts sought by labor unions, saying she believed the evidence would ultimately show the job cuts were illegal and in excess of authority.

The decision came after federal agencies on Friday started issuing layoff notices aimed at reducing the size of

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