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A federal judge, Amy Berman Jackson, has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to lay off nearly 1,500 employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), raising sharp concerns about potential non-compliance with an earlier court order. The move comes as part of an ongoing legal battle over the bureau’s future.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson warns against premature firings
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled on Friday that the CFPB cannot immediately proceed with its plans to execute a mass firing of staff. Her decision came during a hearing in which she expressed serious concerns about the administration’s actions following her previous injunction.
Jackson noted that she is “deeply concerned” the Trump administration is not following her earlier order, which mandates the CFPB remain intact until a final ruling is made on a lawsuit aimed at preserving the agency.
In a firm response to the administration’s efforts to move ahead with the layoffs, she stated during the hearing:
“I’m willing to resolve it quickly, but I’m not going to let this RIF go forward until I have.”
Amy Berman Jackson Sets Hearing For April 28
The judge added that she would not allow officials to cut off employees’ access to the bureau’s computer systems or begin the planned reductions on Friday.
Judge Jackson has scheduled another hearing for April 28 to hear testimony from officials involved in the Reduction in Force (RIF) planning. The goal is to assess how the process was designed and whether it complies with her directives.
The current RIF proposal would drastically reduce the bureau’s staff from around 1,700 to just 200 employees.
Trump administration’s push to shrink government
President Donald Trump, a Republican, has consistently pushed to streamline the federal government, arguing that it is plagued by “fraud, waste and abuse.” The CFPB, established to protect consumers in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, has frequently been a target of conservative criticism.
Businesses and right-leaning politicians have often bristled at the agency’s regulatory reach and investigative powers. Elon Musk, a Trump adviser and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has made the CFPB one of his chief targets in the administration’s reform efforts.
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