A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate approximately 680 federal employees whose jobs were terminated during the recent government shutdown. The move sets the stage for a potential legal showdown over congressional authority and the scope of executive power.
Judge Susan Illston of the US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled on 17 December that agencies must rescind layoffs executed between 1 October and 12 November, when Congress mandated that all reductions-in-force have 'no force or effect'. The ruling effectively overturns the layoffs carried out during that period, demanding that affected employees be returned to their previous positions with full back pay.
