A federal judge said the layoffs by President Donald Trump’s administration appear to be politically motivated and that “you can’t do that in a country ruled by laws.”
Published October 15, 2025
A federal judge in California has ordered President Donald Trump to halt mass layoffs during the partial government shutdown, considering union claims that the cuts are illegal.
At a hearing Wednesday in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a request by two unions to block layoffs at more than 30 government agencies pending further litigation.
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Her ruling came shortly after White House Budget Director Russell Vought said on “The Charlie Kirk Show” that more than 10,000 federal employees could lose their jobs due to the government shutdown, which entered its 15th day Wednesday.
Illston cited a series of public statements from Trump and Vought during the hearing that showed clear political motives for the cuts, including Trump saying the cuts were aimed at “Democratic institutions.”
“You can’t do that in a country of laws, and we have a law here, but what is stated here is not within the law,” said Illston, an appointee of former Democratic President Bill Clinton, adding that the cuts were being made without much thought.
“Most of these programs are very ready, fired and targeted, but it comes at a human cost,” she said. “This is an unacceptable human cost.”
Illston said he agreed with the union that the administration is illegally using the expiration of government funding, which began Oct. 1, to pursue its policy of shrinking the federal government.
Elizabeth Hedges, an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, said she was not prepared to address Illston’s concerns about the legality of the termination. She argued instead that the union must submit its case to the Federal Labor Relations Board before going to court.
“I won’t negotiate.”
The judge’s decision came as federal agencies on Friday began issuing layoff notices aimed at downsizing the federal government. The layoffs are part of the Trump Republican administration’s efforts to increase pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
Democratic lawmakers are pushing for any deal to reopen the federal government to address health care needs. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted that the government shutdown could be the longest in history and said he would “not negotiate” with Democrats until they accept these demands and reopen.
Democrats are calling for another extension of health care subsidies that were first introduced in 2021 and extended a year later. They also want a government funding bill that would reverse the Medicaid cuts in President Trump’s massive tax and spending cut bill passed earlier this year.
Approximately 4,100 workers in eight government agencies have so far received termination notices, according to documents filed by the government in court on Tuesday.
The Trump administration has funded the military and cracked down on immigration while cutting jobs in health and education, including special education and after-school programs. President Trump said Democratic programming was being targeted and “in many cases, never coming back.”
The American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees argue that conducting furloughs is not an essential task that can be performed during a time when government funding is depleted, and that the government shutdown does not justify mass layoffs because most federal workers have been furloughed without pay.
