U.S. District Judge Susan Illston has indefinitely extended her order to prevent the Trump administration from mass firing federal workers during the government shutdown. Her decision, which was made following a hearing on Tuesday, blocks reductions in force (RIFs) at most major government agencies. The ruling limits the Trump administration’s ability to continue downsizing the federal government and resists efforts to use the shutdown to cut programs and agencies favored by Democrats. The Office of Personnel Management, the Office of Management and Budget, and other federal agencies are now barred from issuing any more RIF notices due to the shutdown. The judge also barred the administration from implementing RIF notices issued during the shutdown. The Trump administration is expected to appeal Illston’s ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A Justice Department attorney defending the administration at the hearing claimed the firings were lawful and represented the will of the electorate expressed through President Donald Trump’s victory at the polls. However, the judge rejected the administration’s key arguments, including that the lapse in appropriations gave agencies new flexibility to fire workers because unfunded programs are no longer required by law. The judge emphasized the human impact of the RIFs, citing accounts from impacted employees that were described as ‘very affecting.’ These included a Department of Housing and Urban Development employee who compared her experience to a combat deployment and an IT specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who had worked for the federal government for over 40 years but faced uncertainty over her RIF notice and retirement options.