Judge Orders Halt to Mass Layoffs at Dept. of Health and Human Services

A federal judge on July 1 ordered officials to stop the overhaul of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), finding that the layoffs enacted in April likely ran counter to federal law. “With respect to the merits, the Court concludes the States have shown a likelihood of success on their claims that the HHS’s action was both arbitrary and capricious as well as contrary to law,” U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose wrote in a 58-page ruling that granted a motion from states including New York for a preliminary injunction against HHS. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in March announced a major overhaul of the agency, including the planned terminations of some 10,000 workers and the reorganization of various divisions. Workers were terminated in April....