On Friday, a court proceeded to prevent the Trump administration and its department’s performance (DOGE) from shutting down the consumer watchdog agency, while a judicial trial is underway.
Judge Amy Burman Jackson granted a preliminary order to prevent the user’s Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from getting further. Jackson writes, “The agency’s data, its operational capacity, and absent from the ruling that frozen the stagnation to preserve its manpower – is in serious danger that the defendants will completely destroy the agency’s destruction and completely destroy the agency, before rule the court’s qualities.”
The decision is an important victory for the Federal Workers Union and the groups that rely on the work of the CFPB, which has filed a complaint, and has alleged that the Trump administration is trying to abolish an agency established by the Congress and violate the separation of powers under the constitution. He has warned that efforts to eliminate the agency have left many consumers without enough facilities for their complaints about financial services. In recent years, CFPB has rapidly become a check on the technology industry as tech companies have joined the financial services. (For example, Elon Musk’s X -Port Ports eventually become a payment service.)
But according to the reporting and testimony presented to the judges, after joining the agency, the CFPB eliminated the technologists – which is obviously the necessary staff when regularing the tech companies and kept most of their workforce on administrative departure. CFPB’s acting director Russell vote on February 10 asked the agency staff to “withdraw from doing any work”, workers testified that they literally followed the order. Allegedly, he surprised the administration, later an official made it clear that legal work should still be done.
The judge says he was “left with a little confidence that he could be trusted to tell the truth about anything on defense,” saying that the government’s arguments that had returned to work, “have been shown to be unreliable and contradictory to the agency’s contemporary records.” He also condemned the eleventh -hour attempt to immediately suggest that the stopwork order was not really a stop work order. “
Jackson opened his opinion about the alleged intentions to terminate the agency with the quotations of Musk (the public face of the Dodge), and President Donald Trump. For example, Musk tweeted “CFPB RIP” February 7. “CFPB has long been a awakened and armed agency against unwanted industries and individuals. It must be eliminated.” A few days later, Trump added, “It was a very important thing to save lives.”
Basically, CFPB – for now – can go back to work
Jackson came to the conclusion that until she takes action, “RIF (reduction in force) notes that have already been prepared, the ink on the court’s signature will come out before drying, employees will return only thirty days before leaving, and the defendants will plug on the CFPB.” Although this is not a final decision, Jackson says the Workers Union is likely to succeed in court on its claims.
Judge Trump orders the administration to restore all probationary and expansion employees that expire from February 10, issue no roof notices or issue no RIF notes, remove administrative holiday requirements and stopwork order, and let the employees either go back to the office or work far away. They also require that the government maintain CFPB data and records, and withdraw the notices to terminate the agreement sent from February 11. Basically, CFPB – for now – can go back to work.
Workers are celebrating cautiously. CFPB Union President Kate Farman said in a statement, “While we are very excited and relieved on today’s consequences, union members do not know that this is the end of Trump’s lawlessness attacks.” “The purchase has already violated the previous judicial orders by deleting the data and failing to restore the dismissed workers illegally. We cannot rely on judges only to maintain dictators.
