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Judge blocks layoffs due to lack of Congressional

authorization

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Plaintiffs likely to succeed on claims Trump exceeded

authority

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Hearing set for May 22 to consider longer injunction

(Adds comment from the coalition of plaintiffs, quotes from

ruling and background, from paragraph four)

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's

administration must temporarily halt its sweeping government

overhaul because Congress did not authorize it to carry out

large-scale staffing cuts and the restructuring of agencies, a

federal judge said on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco sided

with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments, and

blocked large-scale mass layoffs known as "reductions in force"

for 14 days.

"As history demonstrates, the President may broadly

restructure federal agencies only when authorized by Congress,"

said Illston.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for

comment.

The ruling is the broadest of its kind against the

government overhaul that has been led by Elon Musk, the world's

richest person who is also CEO of electric vehicle maker Tesla

.

Dozens of lawsuits have challenged DOGE's work on various

grounds including violating privacy laws and exceeding its

authority, with mixed results.

Trump directed government agencies in February to work with

the Department of Government Efficiency to identify targets for

mass layoffs as part of the administration's restructuring

plans.

Trump urged agencies to eliminate duplicative roles,

unnecessary management layers, and non-critical jobs, while

automating routine tasks, closing regional field offices and

reducing the use of outside contractors.

"The Trump administration's unlawful attempt to reorganize

the federal government has thrown agencies into chaos,

disrupting critical services provided across our nation," said a

statement from the coalition of plaintiffs.

"Each of us represents communities deeply invested in the

efficiency of the federal government - laying off federal

employees and reorganizing government functions haphazardly does

not achieve that."

Illston scheduled a hearing for May 22 to consider a

longer-lasting preliminary injunction.

She said that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on merits

of some of their claims in their lawsuit, which was filed on

April 28 and alleged Trump exceeded his authority. It also

alleged the Office of Management and Budget, DOGE and Office of

Personnel Management exceeded their authority and violated

administrative law.

Illston said plaintiffs are likely to suffer irreparable

harm without the temporary restraining order, which she said

preserves the status quo.

Illston said the plaintiffs submitted more than 1,000 pages

of evidence and 62 sworn declarations and she highlighted some

of the material.

For example, she said the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health and its Pittsburgh office, which

researches health hazards facing mineworkers, had 221 of the

department's 222 workers terminated, citing the union. She gave

similar examples at local offices of Head Start, which supports

early learning, the Farm Service Agency and the Social Security

Administration.

"The Court here is not considering the potential loss of

income of one individual employee, but the widespread

termination of salaries and benefits for individuals, families,

and communities," Illston wrote in her ruling.

(Reporting by Tom Hals and Kanishka Singh; Editing by

Muralikumar Anantharaman)