US judge blocks Rubio from cutting State Department staff

A federal judge in California on Friday blocked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio from proceeding with layoffs at the State Department, ruling that the move violates a prior court order halting large-scale federal job cuts.

US District Judge Susan Illston said her injunction issued in May — which barred federal agencies from laying off tens of thousands of employees under President Donald Trump's directive — also applies to the department's restructuring plan.

The State Department notified Congress last month of its intention to lay off around 2,000 employees in June and eliminate or consolidate more than 300 bureaus and offices.

The Trump administration argued that Rubio's plan was unrelated to the president's executive order and should not be subject to the injunction. Illston rejected that defense during a virtual hearing.

"If the State Department has any question about whether planned actions fall within the scope of the Court's injunction, the Court ORDERS the Department to first raise those questions with the Court before taking action," Illston wrote in the order.