Federal judge won't stop Trump administration's mass firings for now

Washington — A federal judge on Thursday allowed President Trump's efforts to shrink the federal workforce to continue moving forward while legal proceedings continue, declining a request from a group of labor unions to temporarily block his firing of federal employees and other actions targeting government workers.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who sits on the federal district court in Washington, D.C., said in a 16-page decision that he had to deny the unions' request for relief because he lacks jurisdiction over the claims. The judge, appointed by former President Barack Obama, said the unions must pursue their legal challenges through the scheme established by Congress in the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, which governs labor relations in the federal workforce.

The five unions, which represent federal workers, had asked Cooper to issue an order that temporarily prevented the termination of members who are probationary employees; implementation of large-scale reductions in force throughout the government; and a renewal of the president's "deferred resignation program."