US judge extends block on Trump’s mass layoffs during shutdown

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House. (AP)

A federal judge on Tuesday further blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from following through on plans to lay off thousands of federal employees amid a nearly month-long partial government shutdown.

During a hearing in San Francisco, US District Judge Susan Illston extended an earlier temporary ruling barring nearly 40 federal agencies from implementing layoffs pending the outcome of a legal challenge by unions that represent federal workers.