Judge Allows Trump's Mass Firings of Federal Workers

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A federal judge denied a bid by labor unions to block the Trump administration from carrying out mass layoffs at federal agencies.

U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper acknowledged the concerns of the National Treasury Employees Union and four other unions seeking a restraining order to pause the layoffs. However, he ruled that federal court was not the appropriate venue for their lawsuit.

“NTEU fails to establish that it is likely to succeed on the merits because this Court likely lacks subject matter jurisdiction over the claims it asserts. The Court will therefore deny the unions’ motion for a temporary restraining order and, for the same reasons, deny their request for a preliminary injunction,” Cooper wrote in his order.

The unions sought to halt mass firings of probationary employees and reductions in the federal workforce, but the judge ruled that these claims should be handled by the Federal Labor Relations Authority.

This case was the broadest suit against the administration over federal layoffs, with other suits pending in California and at individual agencies.

The judge emphasized the need for even-handed application of law and precedent in deciding legal issues.

Judge Allows Trump’s Mass Firings of Federal Workers  was originally published on wbt.com