A federal judge in San Francisco last week issued a temporary restraining order to block the administration’s unlawful reorganization of the federal government.
The order is the largest and most significant challenge to the president’s authority to remake the government without congressional approval.
The case, AFGE v. Trump, argues that the Trump administration’s unlawful reorganization of the federal government, which is already underway without legislative authority, violates the Constitution’s fundamental separation of powers principles.
The coalition filing the case includes:
- The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and four AFGE locals;
- AFSCME;
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and SEIU Local 1000;
- Alliance for Retired Americans;
- American Geophysical Union;
- American Public Health Association;
- Center for Taxpayer Rights;
- Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks;
- Common Defense;
- Main Street Alliance;
- Natural Resources Defense Council;
- Northeast Organic Farming Association Inc.;
- VoteVets;
- Western Watersheds Project;
- City and County of San Francisco;
- County of Santa Clara, California;
- City of Chicago;
- City of Baltimore;
- Harris County, Texas;
- and King County, Washington.
The parties are represented by lead co-counsel Democracy Forward and Altshuler Berzon LLP, Protect Democracy, Public Rights Project, and Democracy Defenders Fund.
In a statement, the coalition said: “The Trump administration’s unlawful attempt to reorganize the federal government has thrown agencies into chaos, disrupting critical services provided across our nation. 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. We are gratified by the court’s decision today to pause these harmful actions while our case proceeds.”
Read the complaint here and the temporary restraining order here.
Let’s GO
AFSCME is fighting the administration’s cuts through its Get Organized campaign.
AFSCME GO is about making sure that everyone understands what’s at stake in this fight. It’s about standing up to the billionaires and anti-union extremists trying to steal our power, and defeating any efforts to gut key programs including Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.