A federal district judge in San Francisco has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump administration from finalizing tens of thousands of planned agency layoffs, ruling plaintiffs showed a strong likelihood that the firings were unlawful and possibly politically motivated. The order freezes roughly 4,100 reduction‑in‑force notices across federal agencies while litigation proceeds. At the Education Department, the injunction preserves staffing in offices that oversee accreditation, postsecondary policy and special‑education services—units that had already faced deep cuts earlier in the year. Union leaders hailed the ruling as protection for programs that support millions of students and warned that open staffing holes would have immediate operational consequences. The decision raises immediate operational questions for campuses and grant programs that depend on federal personnel and continuity. Agencies now must pause implementing the personnel reductions while the courts consider the broader challenge to the administration’s authority to execute the layoffs during the government shutdown.