A US judge has blocked Donald Trump administration’s decision to mass fire recently hired federal employees, putting the move on hold on Thursday, according to reports.

William Alsup, San Francisco District Judge ruled that the US Office of Personnel Management does not have the authority to order federal agencies to fire any workers, including probationary employees who usually have less than one year of experience.

Judge Alsup issued this ruling after US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who is co-chairing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), stated their plan to lay off employees to cut administrative costs.

The judge warned that mass firings of federal workers could cause widespread harm.

Probationary employees are the lifeblood of our government, the judge said. They come in at a low level and work their way up. That’s how we renew ourselves.

The judge also ordered to deem the memos sent to employees and agencies invalid. In response, the US Justice Department, on behalf of the Trump administration, argued that no termination emails or memos had been sent to employees. Instead, the memos were sent to agencies to review employees and determine who could potentially be terminated.

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