State Dept. pauses layoff notices as judge blocks Trump from ousting thousands

A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from laying off thousands of workers, forcing a Department of Justice lawyer to say the State Department will not issue layoff notices set to go out Saturday.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said Friday that her previous ruling last month barring federal agencies from laying off tens of thousands of employees at President Donald Trump's behest applied to the State Department's planned overhaul, which called for 2,000 layoffs, Reuters reported.

Alexander Resar, a DOJ lawyer, said the department will not send out its scheduled layoff notices over the weekend.

Unions, nonprofits and municipalities had sued to stop the State Department, which argued in court that its plans were announced before Trump's executive order and memo directing the federal government to slash workers.

The Trump administration previously asked the Supreme Court to halt the judge's May decision while it appeals.

In April, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was making sweeping cuts at the State Department, days after claiming a Trump draft order for the cuts was a “hoax” and “fake news.”

Rubio posted to X at the time, "Today is the day. Under @POTUS’ leadership and at my direction, we are reversing decades of bloat and bureaucracy at the State Department. These sweeping changes will empower our talented diplomats to put America and Americans first."