A federal judge issued a stern rebuke of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s plan to conduct mass layoffs at the agency.
Judge Melissa DuBose of Rhode Island issued a ruling on Monday that blocked the agency from laying off more than 10,000 workers. In it, DuBose ruled that the executive branch "does not have the authority to order, organize, or implement wholesale changes to the structure and function of the agencies created by Congress."
The judge also asked both parties to address how the Supreme Court's ruling on nationwide injunctions should apply to the case.
"Without a modicum of evidence to the contrary, the record shows that the Defendants did not consider the 'substantial harms and reliance interests' of the States and the devastating consequences that would be felt by the populations served by these critical public health programs," DuBose wrote in her opinion.
CBS News reported that many HHS workers have been on administrative leave since April, when Kennedy first issued the termination orders. However, the workers have been getting paid because of lawsuits seeking to reinstate them.
DuBose's order is the second court ruling that blocks HHS's layoffs. In May, a federal judge in California issued a similar order preventing the HSS workers from being laid off. President Donald Trump's administration swiftly filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to determine whether it can continue with the layoffs.
"In fact, the record is completely devoid of any evidence that the Defendants have performed any research on the repercussions of issuing and executing the plans announced in the Communiqué," DuBose wrote.