Philadelphia federal workers in limbo after judge rules against Trump's mass firings

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A federal judge blasted the wave of federal job cuts, calling them likely unlawful.

The court decision is leaving many federal employees who were let go, including hundreds of IRS employees in Philadelphia, now in limbo.

The new ruling calls into question the Trump administration's plans to dramatically downsize the federal government.

On Thursday, a federal judge in San Francisco, California, temporarily blocked the administration from carrying out the mass firings of probationary employees, calling the cuts likely unlawful.

There are around 200,000 probationary employees across the federal government, many of which have up to a year or two at their job, depending on the department. It also includes people who were promoted or transferred, and haven't been in their new role for more than a year.

Judge William Alsup said the Office of Personnel Management does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe, to hire or fire any employees but its own.

Labor Unions and organizations had sued to stop the job cuts, saying they are illegal and could compromise government functions.

"We're cutting down government. We're cutting down the size of government -- we have to -- we're bloated, we're sloppy," Trump has said about the cuts.

The Trump administration has directed all federal agencies to begin preparing for large-scale layoffs and restructuring, and in a new memo, asked agencies to submit their plans for cuts by March 13.

Prior to the judge's ruling, there was word of sweeping cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In all, around 800 workers were terminated, with more layoffs possible on Friday.

NOAA is the parent agency of the National Weather Service, the data from which is relied upon by meteorologists across the county to create their local forecasts, and which directs the forecast for the hurricane season.