A federal judge in California said Thursday that critics suing over the Trump administration’s layoff plans are likely to succeed in their claims that the executive branch has overstepped its authority.
During a hearing Thursday before the District Court for the Northern District of California, Judge Susan Illston rebuked the Trump administration’s early moves to conduct mass layoffs and said she is inclined to extend her order that temporarily blocked the administration’s federal layoff and reorganization plans.
“My conclusions may change, but the evidence before the court today strongly suggests that the recent actions of the executive branch usurp the constitutional powers of Congress,” Illston said.
Illston thwarted the Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs across the government earlier this month when she issued an order temporarily pausing the administration’s layoff plans at environmental agencies and other departments.
