A federal judge on Oct. 16, 2025, paused the Trump administration’s latest round of layoffs, which targeted more than 4,000 federal workers at a range of agencies, including 466 workers at the Department of Education.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said that the administration’s layoffs, which it has justified because of a lapse of funding during the government shutdown, are “both illegal and in excess of authority” and called them “arbitrary and capricious.” The Trump administration is expected to appeal the judge’s decision.
