A federal judge in California has temporarily blocked the U.S. State Department from executing a major reorganization plan that included laying off 2,000 employees. The judge ruled that the plan is covered under an earlier injunction preventing mass layoffs across federal agencies initiated by the Trump administration.

What happened

Judge Susan Illston of San Francisco stated during a virtual hearing that her May decision—which halted restructuring across roughly 20 federal agencies—applies to the State Department's proposed changes. The plan included eliminating or restructuring over 300 bureaus and offices.

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The State Department claimed its plan predated President Donald Trump’s February executive order on government-wide workforce reductions. However, the court disagreed and determined the department’s actions still fall within the scope of the ban.

Government and legal reactions

Department of Justice attorney Alexander Resar confirmed that layoff notices, initially scheduled to be sent on Saturday, would be paused. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay Illston’s ruling while it appeals the decision.

The State Department has not issued a statement on the ruling’s impact. In court filings, Daniel Holler, deputy chief of staff to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said the plan was independently crafted by Rubio’s advisory team to streamline operations—not as a response to Trump’s directive.

Political context

This ruling adds further complexity to an already politically charged issue. The federal overhaul initiative was driven in part by Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), who recently had a public split with President Trump. Musk has since retracted several social media posts criticizing Trump, including one supporting his impeachment.