Federal court approves temporary injunction blocking Trump administration from mass layoffs. Key US politics stories from Wednesday 15 October

Judge says White House office of management and budget took advantage of government shutdown in firing workers

Federal judge halts Trump administration layoffs of federal workers during government shutdown, sparking legal battle and concerns over legality.

Last week the Trump administration began the process of laying off about 4,000 workers, saying it was due to the federal shutdown.

Trump administration notified roughly 4,100 federal employees last week they were being laid off amid a lapse in government funding

Federal agencies on Friday started issuing layoff notices aimed at reducing the size of the federal government.

The Trump administration warned it would use the shutdown to shed federal jobs. President Trump said that the cuts were aimed at "Democrat agencies."

A federal judge said the layoffs seem politically motivated and 'you can't do that in a nation of laws'.

Federal court approves temporary injunction blocking Trump administration from mass layoffs. Key US politics stories from Wednesday 15 October

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to halt firings of workers amid the shutdown, according to two labor unions that brought the lawsuit .