A judge has issued a temporary injunction preventing President Donald Trump from placing 2,200 employees of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on paid leave, just hours before the action was set to take effect.
Judge Carl Nichols granted a “limited” temporary restraining order in response to an urgent lawsuit filed by two unions seeking to protect the agency. This order will remain effective for one week, expiring at midnight on February 14.
Trump has contended that USAID, which is responsible for international aid, does not represent a prudent expenditure of taxpayer funds and has expressed intentions to dismantle the agency. His plan involves placing nearly all of the agency’s 10,000 employees on leave, with the exception of 611 individuals.
Approximately 500 employees had already been placed on administrative leave, and an additional 2,200 were scheduled to follow from midnight on Friday (05:00 GMT).
The last-minute lawsuit contended that the government’s actions were unconstitutional and that the employees would experience significant harm.
Judge Nichols supported the unions’ position, stating that they would face “irreparable harm” without judicial intervention, while asserting that there would be “zero harm to the government.”
“All USAID employees currently on administrative leave shall be reinstated until that date, and shall be given complete access to email, payment, and security notification systems until that date, and no additional employees shall be placed on administrative leave before that date,” Nichols stated.
The judge will also evaluate a request for a longer-term suspension during a hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
The court order does not clarify the future of the remaining employees’ positions. As the ruling was announced, officials began removing and covering USAID signage at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Judge Nichols’ ruling on Friday was issued in response to an emergency petition filed by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees, two unions that represent the agency’s employees.
During the proceedings, Judge Nichols, who was appointed by Trump during his initial term, appeared unlikely to approve additional requests related to the lawsuit, such as the reinstatement of grants and contracts or the reopening of USAID facilities.
The legal challenge contended that the president was infringing upon the US Constitution and federal law by attempting to dismantle the agency.
“None of the defendants’ actions aimed at dismantling USAID were executed with congressional authorization,” the petition stated.
“According to federal law, only Congress possesses the authority to lawfully dismantle the agency.”
Brett Shumate, a justice department official representing the Trump administration, informed the judge that the president “has determined there is corruption and fraud at USAID.”