A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the mass layoffs carried out at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) likely went against the law and there is sufficient evidence to support claims of irreparable harm as a result.
U.S. District Judge Melissa R. DuBose, a Biden appointee confirmed to the bench earlier this year, granted a request by plaintiffs in the suit to block the far-reaching terminations at HHS as well as the planned restructuring of the agency.
The suit was filed by the Democratic attorneys general of 19 states and D.C. They alleged in their suit that the Trump administration had overstepped congressional authority and gone against the doctrine of separation of powers.
HHS laid off roughly 10,000 staffers as part of its restructuring plan in April. According to public health experts and former staffers, the drastic reduction in staffing threatens the U.S.’s status as a leading health authority.
In its counterargument, HHS has argued that the attorneys general lack standing to sue the federal government over this action. To establish standing, the states must prove harm as a result of HHS’s actions.
DuBose wrote she was “persuaded” to believe tangible harm had resulted from the drastic changes at HHS, noting the example of disruptions occurring at the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety due to grants not being processed.
“This unprocessed grant extension has already led to disruptions at NWCOHS, including cancelled grant renewal meetings, inability ‘to provide funded offers of admission for trainees,’ and a decrease in the number of occupational medicine residents admitted for 2025-2026,” wrote Dubose.
Based on the evidence presented by the attorneys general, DuBose found that they were likely to succeed on the merits of the case. She declined to address the constitutionality claims in the case.
The federal government requested that the injunction be paused pending an appeal. Another federal judge in May had already ordered the Trump administration to pause its mass layoffs, including those at HHS, and as such DuBose preemptively denied the request.
“The Executive Branch does not have the authority to order, organize, or implement wholesale changes to the structure and function of the agencies created by Congress,” DuBose wrote.
“We stand by our original decision to realign this organization with its core mission and refocus a sprawling bureaucracy that, over time, had become wasteful, inefficient, and resistant to change,” an HHS spokesperson told The Hill. “The reorganization was designed to restore the department around bold, measurable public health goals—like reversing the chronic disease epidemic and advancing U.S. leadership in biomedical research.”
“While we strongly disagree with the decision by a Biden-appointed district court judge, HHS remains committed to modernizing a health workforce that for too long prioritized institutional preservation over meaningful public health impact. We are reviewing the decision and considering next steps,” they added.
