Judge Rules Trump Can Go Right Ahead With Gutting Federal Government
A federal judge has just cleared the way for Trump to continue his federal employee purge.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper decided against the National Treasury Employees Union and multiple other unions who sued the Trump administration last week to stop them from terminating thousands of federal workers. This is a huge early win for Trump, as the firings had been on hold since the suit was filed.
The unions, which included the United Auto Workers, the National Treasury Employees Union, and the National Federation of Federal Employees, argued that DOGE’s slashing of the federal workforce—and offering buyouts—went against the constitutional separation of powers, which givesCongress the power to fund federal agencies. The lawsuit aimed to stop layoffs at the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Department of Veterans Affairs.
The argument didn’t seem to matter to Judge Cooper, who ruled the unions must instead file their complaints with the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) rather than a federal court.
This is one of at least 70 lawsuits that has been filed against the Trump administration since he came into office. Each court decision will serve as a barometer for just how much the judiciary will fold to the president.
