The Trump administration's bid to lay off thousands of workers during the lengthy government shutdown was dealt a blow Tuesday afternoon when it was hit with a temporary block from a federal judge in California.
Judge Susan Illston extended her own temporary block that was ordered earlier this month and said she'd issue a written order shortly, The New York Times reported.
Unions for federal workers had said the firings were unlawful. President Donald Trump has used the mass purge as leverage over Democrats, hoping they'll give in to his fiscal demands. Illston expanded her own temporary restraining order out of concerns the Trump administration may have been trying to bypass the order.
Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, told Raw Story in a statement that the ruling was "another victory for federal workers and our ongoing efforts to protect their jobs from an administration hellbent on illegally firing them."
“Unlike the billionaires in this administration, public service workers dedicate themselves to serving their communities. These attempted mass firings would devastate both the workers and the people they serve. We will keep fighting to protect public service jobs against this administration’s unlawful efforts to eliminate them," he said.