Andrea Hsu
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Podcast Appearances
They're not generally appealable, but that hasn't stopped the Trump administration in the past.
So we can expect the administration to fight this pause all the way to the Supreme Court if it has to.
Already, the Supreme Court has signaled a willingness to side with the government in cases about the fate of federal employees.
District Judge Susan Ilsten said the unions are likely to prove that the Trump administration acted illegally in firing employees during the shutdown.
She ordered a pause to the layoffs already underway and a halt to any new layoffs until a second hearing on October 28th.
The government's attorney, Elizabeth Hedges, argued that the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case and that the restraining order is not warranted because the plaintiffs have not demonstrated irreparable harm.
Ilston did not find those arguments compelling and instead pressed Hedges to explain why the government believes the layoffs are legal.
Hedges declined, saying she was not prepared to discuss the government's position on the merits at this time.
District Judge Susan Ilsten said the unions are likely to prove that the Trump administration acted illegally in firing employees during the shutdown.
She ordered a pause to the layoffs already underway and a halt to any new layoffs until a second hearing on October 28th.
The government's attorney, Elizabeth Hedges, argued that the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case and that the restraining order is not warranted because the plaintiffs have not demonstrated irreparable harm.
Ilston did not find those arguments compelling and instead pressed Hedges to explain why the government believes the layoffs are legal.
Hedges declined, saying she was not prepared to discuss the government's position on the merits at this time.
President Trump has said repeatedly that he's cutting Democrat programs, his words.
And some of the offices that we know have been targeted for cuts are indeed things that Democrats have championed, like offices that worked on energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
An Energy Department spokesperson told NPR that these are offices that, and I'll quote here, played a major role in the Biden administration's war on American energy.