WASHINGTON—A federal judge on Feb. 20 declined to block for now downsizing efforts by the Trump administration, including mass firings and buyout programs.
“Federal district judges are duty-bound to decide legal issues based on even-handed application of law and precedent—no matter the identity of the litigants or, regrettably at times, the consequences of their rulings for average people,” U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper wrote in his ruling.
Unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers had filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and the heads of several government agencies, saying they were overstepping the executive branch’s authority….