A federal district judge in California has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from laying off thousands of additional federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown, various news organizations reported Wednesday.
Following a hearing, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco agreed to a request from unions, such as the American Federation of Government Employees, to put the brakes on a layoff notice the White House issued Friday Oct. 10, CNN reported.
Citing public statements from President Trump, Judge Illston said the planned layoffs appear to be politically motivated, CNN reported.
About 4,100 federal employees were targeted in the latest round of layoffs, including 187 at the Department of Energy.
The shutdown began Oct. 1 after most Democrats refused to embrace a GOP-led continuing resolution to keep the government open, saying the CR would increase health care costs for millions of people.