A federal judge further halts Trump's radical transformation of government

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NPR

Updated May 23, 2025 8:18 AM ET


A federal judge in San Francisco has indefinitely paused President Trump's sweeping overhaul of the federal government. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued the preliminary injunction late Thursday, nearly two weeks after temporarily halting Trump's Feb. 11 executive order directing agencies to shut down offices and lay off thousands of people.

A coalition of labor unions, nonprofits and local governments had sued to block that executive order and the subsequent memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management instructing agencies on how to carry out Trump's order. The plaintiffs argued that Trump lacks the authority to carry out such a radical transformation of government without approval from Congress.

Illston agreed, writing that "agencies may not conduct large-scale reorganizations and reductions in force in blatant disregard of Congress's mandates, and a President may not initiate large-scale executive branch reorganization without partnering with Congress."

She noted that over the last century, nine presidents have sought and obtained authority from Congress to reorganize the executive branch. She pointed out that others, including Trump in his first term, sought approval but were not granted it. The lawsuit named Trump, Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, the heads of 21 federal agencies and those agencies themselves as defendants.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/23/nx-s1-5407344/trump-government-reorganization-rif-pause

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REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143461417

Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://www.washingtonpost.com/documents/288497fc-9b36-4d0d-bf97-a2949b5464ce.pdf

There are over 225 cases going (some resolved) and I think this is a "new" status update that happened last night. (ETA - it is breaking everywhere now so it is "new" and got lost under the "tariff" nonsense)

From the article - impacted Departments/agencies -

Judge Illston's preliminary injunction applies to the following agencies:

Office of Management and Budget

Office of Personnel Management

Department of Agriculture

Department of Commerce

Department of Energy

Department of Health and Human Services

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Department of the Interior

Department of Labor

Department of State

Treasury Department

Department of Transportation

Department of Veterans Affairs

AmeriCorps

Environmental Protection Agency

General Services Administration

National Labor Relations Board

National Science Foundation

Peace Corps

Small Business Administration

Social Security Administration

Department of Government Efficiency (not a formally established government agency)

[MarineCombatEngineer]

1. I can't think of any other Pres. that has had that many court challenges against him in such a short time,

and how many of those lawsuits he's lost so far, maybe there are others, but I doubt it.

[bluestarone]

3. I'm right there with your thoughts.

Never imagined anybody getting the power this bastard has gotten. Hell, i don't even think congress will have the power to stop him even if we win in 2026. I'm so waiting for some judge to use the FULL power they have. Call in some of TSF's stooges before the court, and use CONTEMPT powers.

[nitpicked]

2. Judge blocks Trump administration mass layoffs at many U.S. agencies

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/23/judge-blocks-trump-federal-workforce-cuts.html

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from sharply cutting jobs and reorganizing the structure of many major federal agencies.

The order granted a preliminary injunction that pauses further reductions in force and “reorganization of the executive branch for the duration of the lawsuit.”

“Presidents may set policy priorities for the executive branch, and agency heads may implement them. This much is undisputed,” wrote Judge Susan Illston in her order in U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California.

“But Congress creates federal agencies, funds them, and gives them duties that — by statute — they must carry out. Agencies may not conduct large-scale reorganizations and reductions in force in blatant disregard of Congress’s mandates, and a President may not initiate large-scale executive branch reorganization without partnering with Congress,” Illston wrote.
(snip)

[Fil1957]

4. Good news, but

what if he ignores the order and just does it anyway? Who's to stop him?

[CaptainTruth]

5. If every person at those agencies refuses to go along...

...with his unlawful actions, it will stop him, & the courts will back up those who refuse to participate in his illegal activities.

[Shipwack]

6. Great to hear but...

Is it already too late? Can all of the unlawfully fired inspectors, administrators, etc be brought back? Can we reconstruct agencies whose buildings and equipment have been already sold? Can erased data and regulations be reconstituted?

I understand this is good news, and I’m glad to hear this ruling. I also understand that the courts can’t (won’t?) act more quickly.

Even if we have a series of good breaks, there’s a long slog ahead of us.

[JoseBalow]

7. The only court that counts for him is the Supreme Court

And then it's only for decisions that he agrees with, just something he can point to and crow that he's won.

He truly believes that he's above it all, and no laws apply to him.