A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to pause a lower court ruling that blocked mass firings across more than a dozen federal agencies, keeping the layoffs on hold.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Trump administration’s request to lift a lower court’s order blocking mass firings at more than a dozen federal agencies, keeping the layoffs on hold. The ruling deals a major setback to President Donald Trump’s push to drastically shrink the federal workforce through reductions in force, which have remained paused since May 9, when U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled Trump cannot carry out such sweeping changes without congressional approval.

Twenty-one states urged a district court judge to uphold the executive branch’s authority over federal workforce decisions, warning against judicial overreach in an amicus brief obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The brief responds to a lawsuit filed on April 28 by labor unions, local governments, and nonprofits—supported by the left-wing group Democracy Forward—seeking to block workforce reductions at more than 20 agencies under Trump’s February executive order.

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