She said that the legislative branch alone has the authority to restructure the government.
District Judge Suan Illston issued a 14-day pause on the “reductions in force” by President Trump’s administration over the past weekend. She ruled that the executive branch cannot restructure the government, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and President Donald Trump. She determined only Congress could take that action.
“The President has the authority to seek changes to executive branch agencies, but he must do so in lawful ways and, in the case of large-scale reorganizations, with the cooperation of the legislative branch,” the judge wrote. “Nothing prevents the President from requesting this cooperation — as he did in his prior term of office.”
“Such action is far outside the bounds of any authority that Congress vested in OPM or OMB, and, as noted, DOGE has no statutory authority whatsoever,” Judge Illston wrote.
The judge blocked the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget from issuing new reduction-in-force notifications or executing existing ones until May 23.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For federal judges as they hear lawsuits challenging the actions and policies of President Trump and his Cabinet.
- For the president and federal agency heads as they seek to reduce the size of government and its spending.
Sources: MSNBC, Politico
