A federal judge is once again blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to use the government shutdown to lay off employees at agencies like the Interior Department.
During a Tuesday hearing, Senior Judge Susan Illston said unions and advocacy groups are likely to succeed on their claims that the administration’s actions are illegal.
“I think it’s important that we remember that although we are here talking about statutes and administrative procedure and the like, we are also talking about human lives,” she said at the start of the proceedings.
She issued a preliminary injunction against the administration’s layoff plans from the bench at the close of the hearing, extending the effect of a temporary restraining order she issued against the government earlier this month.
