Judge halts Trump's decree, preserving collective bargaining privileges for numerous federal employees.
In a major blow to President Trump, a federal judge has indefinitely blocked his attempt to strip collective bargaining rights from over a million federal workers. Judge James Donato of the US District Court in San Francisco granted the preliminary injunction requested by a coalition of unions, whose members would have lost their right to negotiate under Trump's executive order.
However, Donato's decision contradicts a May ruling by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, which lifted a different judge's block on Trump's order pertaining to another union's members. Donato, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, stated that the unions had "demonstrated a serious question as to whether their First Amendment rights have been violated."
The unions, led by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), argue that Trump's actions were retaliation and a violation of the right to engage in constitutionally protected speech. The suit also alleges that the administration is attempting to use the national security exemption to eliminate the rights of workers whose primary duties are not related to national security.
In his 29-page ruling, Donato asserted that the White House fact sheet was "solid evidence of a tie between the exercise of First Amendment rights and a government sanction." The fact sheet reportedly called out federal unions for vocal opposition to President Trump's agenda and mandated the dissolution of collective bargaining rights and other protections for unions deemed oppositional to the President.
Despite national security concerns, Donato stated that a claim of national security does not automatically negate the Constitution, particularly with respect to the First Amendment. "President Trump revoked our members' union rights in retaliation for our advocacy on behalf of federal workers and the American people, and we are grateful that Judge Donato saw through his disingenuous 'national security' justification and has ordered the immediate restoration of their rights," AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement.
The ruling by Donato follows a defeat for federal workers in a separate lawsuit filed by the National Treasury Employees Union, which argued that Trump's directive would strip union rights from about two-thirds of its members and deprive it of critical union dues that are deducted from members' paychecks. The decision to block Trump's executive order marks a significant victory for federal unions, but the legal battle is far from over as the administration is expected to appeal the ruling.
Politics surrounding policy-and-legislation continued to dominate general news, with a federal judge's recent ruling in favor of unions challenging President Trump's executive order revoking collective bargaining rights. Judge James Donato's decision not only overturned a previous ruling allowing the implementation of the executive order for some unions, but also highlighted potential violations of First Amendment rights.
