US judge says she will likely block Trump's mass layoffs during govt shutdown

A federal judge on Wednesday said at the beginning of a court hearing that she will likely block the Trump administration from laying off thousands of federal workers amid a partial government shutdown.

US District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco said she agreed with two unions that the administration is unlawfully using the lapse in government funding to carry out its agenda of downsizing the federal government.

"Unless something changes my mind, I would intend to enjoin what’s going on. That's where I'm starting," said Illston, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat.