U.S. judge blocks State Department's planned overhaul, mass layoffs

A national justice successful California connected Friday temporarily blocked the U.S. State Department from implementing an agency-wide reorganization program that includes 2,000 layoffs.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston successful San Francisco during a virtual proceeding said her May ruling barring national agencies from laying disconnected tens of thousands of employees astatine the absorption of President Donald Trump applies to the planned overhaul announced by the State Department past month.

U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Alexander Resar said successful effect that the State Department would not contented layoff notices that were scheduled to spell retired connected Saturday.

The State Department had argued that its reorganization program submitted to Congress past period predated a February enforcement bid and consequent White House memo directing wide layoffs, placing it extracurricular the scope of Illston's decision.

The ruling came successful a suit by a radical of unions, nonprofits and municipalities.

The State Department and lawyers for the plaintiffs did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

The Trump medication has already asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intermission Illston's May determination portion it appeals. Illston blocked astir 20 national agencies, including the State Department, from carrying retired plans to downsize and restructure astatine Trump's direction, pending the result of the lawsuit.

But the section told Congress successful precocious May that it inactive planned to notify astir 2,000 employees this period that they were being laid disconnected and would reorganize oregon destruct much than 300 bureaus and offices.

The State Department successful May said it would undertake its reorganization program by July 1, and has not commented astir the imaginable interaction of the lawsuit.

In a tribunal filing connected Friday, Daniel Holler, the lawman main of unit to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said the agency's program was crafted by Rubio and a tiny radical of advisers to streamline operations and not successful effect to immoderate directive from Trump.

Illston, successful her May decision, said the White House cannot bid the restructuring of national agencies without authorization from Congress.

The ruling was the broadest of its benignant against the authorities overhaul that was spearheaded by Trump state Elon Musk, the world's richest person, who had a swift and acrimonious falling retired with the Republican president past week.

Musk connected Wednesday said helium regretted immoderate of the comments helium had made astir Trump successful societal media posts and deleted immoderate of them, including 1 signaling enactment for Trump's impeachment.