A federal judge denied a request from unions to pause mass layoffs in the federal government on Thursday, a decision that comes as thousands of probationary workers are being laid off and marks the latest judgment in a slew of legal actions as Democrats and others fight Trump and cost-cutting czar Elon Musk in court.

The decision clears a roadblock for the new administration as it attempts sweeping changes to downsize the federal government.

The Trump administration can for now continue its mass firings of federal employees, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, rejecting a bid by a group of labor unions to halt President Donald Trump’s dramatic downsizing of the roughly 2.