President Trump’s latest push to slash the bloated federal bureaucracy has once again been derailed—this time by yet another activist judge eager to obstruct reform. In what’s quickly becoming a tired and dangerous pattern, Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California, a Clinton appointee, issued a temporary injunction halting the largest phase of Trump’s downsizing plan. Her ruling blocks two dozen agencies from eliminating wasteful programs and trimming excess staff—moves that any sane government would embrace.
According to Illston, the executive branch supposedly needs congressional authorization to streamline its own workforce, a claim that reeks of judicial overreach. It’s the same old story: a liberal judge invents a legal pretext to protect big government, Democrats applaud, and the will of the voters gets tossed aside.
“Of all the lawsuits challenging President Trump’s vision to dramatically scale back the form and function of the federal government, this one is poised to have the broadest effect,” the New York Times notes. “Most of the agencies have yet to announce their downsizing plans, but employees across the government have been anxiously waiting for announcements that have been expected for weeks.”
Ruling just hours after an emergency hearing on Friday, Judge Susan Illston of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California said the government’s effort to lay off workers and shut down offices and programs created an urgent threat to scores of critical services.
Congress set up a specific process for the federal government to reorganize itself. The unions and organizations behind the lawsuit have argued that the president does not have the authority to make those decisions without the legislative branch.
Judge Illston noted that process requires consultation with Congress on any plan to abolish or transfer part of an agency.
“It is the prerogative of presidents to pursue new policy priorities and to imprint their stamp on the federal government,” Illston wrote in her order, which clocked in at 42 pages. “But to make large-scale overhauls of federal agencies, any president must enlist the help of his coequal branch and partner, the Congress.”
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Let’s be clear: this isn’t about legal principle—it’s about raw political obstruction. These rogue judges know exactly what they’re doing, and Democrats are cheering them on, fully aware that the only thing slowing down Trump’s agenda is the bench’s judicial overreach.
2/ Okay, this line is crazy! No, the President's can't ignore statutorily mandated agencies functions but he most definitely can reorganize the executive branch in ways that to not prevent the execution of mandated functions. pic.twitter.com/M4qtietAYt
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) May 10, 2025
3/3 Judge is equating firings with terminating agencies. And fired employees have a basis to challenge in a different forum. Full opinion hear. https://t.co/WahW6fLeko
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) May 10, 2025
The left knows it can’t win at the ballot box, so it’s resorted to governing from the bench. This relentless lawfare, dressed up as judicial oversight, is nothing more than a last-ditch power grab. If it keeps up, it won’t just derail Trump’s efforts to rein in government—it’ll blow a hole through the Constitution itself. Judge Susan Illston is just the latest in a growing line of lawless judges issuing politically motivated rulings with zero regard for constitutional limits. This isn’t justice—it’s sabotage, plain and simple.
Fortunately, President Trump isn’t backing down. His administration is gearing up to fight every baseless ruling, every rogue decision, and every attempt to undermine the will of the people. But let’s face it: at some point, Republicans in Congress need to step up. Enough is enough. These activist judges can’t be allowed to run the country from the bench.
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