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NOW: A federal judge in DC has *denied* motions for temporary restraining orders in litigation over the government shutdown. Federal workers had sought immediate orders to either enable them to get paid for working now, or give them a choice about whether to work without pay
Judge Richard Leon said he empathized with federal workers, but said the court wasn't just another source of leverage in a "squabble" between the other branches of government. The shutdown is a "political problem," Leon said
Leon said there were varying likelihoods of success on the merits that deserved full briefing, and that the public interest (a factor in TRO analysis) weighed against immediate action now -- at best, he said, a TRO would cause "chaos and confusion," and could put lives at risk
The legal fight over the shutdown is not over, today's ruling was just on motions for temporary restraining orders, where the bar is very high to clear. The judge set an expedited schedule for briefing on motions for preliminary injunctions, with arguments set for Jan. 31
STORY: Federal employees forced to work without pay during the government shutdown lost the first round in court, with a judge denying requests to force the government to pay them, or give them a choice about whether to work buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
Federal employees forced to work without pay were in court today arguing a judge should do *something* right now to help workers (they had different ideas about what). The judge declined all the requests, saying they could cause "chaos and confusion" buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetil…
