Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a 2019 Trump appointee, said after a hearing that he would issue a temporary restraining order pausing the imminent administrative leave of 2,200 U.S.A.I.D. employees and a plan to withdraw nearly all of the agency’s overseas workers within 30 days.

The judge temporarily barred USAID from putting 2,200 workers on paid leave after employee groups filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s authority to shut down the agency.

The suit says the administration's actions are costing thousands of jobs, threatening national security interests and causing a humanitarian catastrophe.