WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge in Washington has permitted President Donald Trump’s mass termination of federal employees to proceed.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled against a motion from labor unions representing the affected workers that sought to temporarily halt the layoffs. He determined that the unions’ claims constituted an employment dispute, which must adhere to a specific procedure under federal employment regulations.

Judge Cooper noted that the second term of the Republican president has been characterized by an array of executive orders that have led to significant disruptions, which some believe are intentional, impacting various sectors of American society.

Despite being appointed by former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, Cooper emphasized that judges are obligated to address legal matters impartially, applying the law consistently regardless of the involved parties or the potential effects of their decisions on ordinary individuals.

This ruling emerges as thousands of federal workers have been dismissed in the initial month of Trump’s second term.

The administration contended in court that the unions did not adequately demonstrate facing immediate, irreparable harm that would warrant an emergency measure to prevent the layoffs.

The labor unions, representing hundreds of thousands of government employees, argue that Trump’s attempts to reduce the federal workforce infringe upon Congress’s authority to dictate the structure and funding of federal agencies, as well as laws that govern how layoffs should be enacted.

Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees’ Union, remarked that Cooper’s ruling is a temporary hurdle and assured that “federal employees will have their opportunity in court to contest the illegal mass terminations and other threats to their careers, their agencies, and their service to the nation.”

This lawsuit is part of a larger wave of over 80 legal challenges against various actions initiated by Trump through his rapid succession of executive orders. Additionally, unions have also filed another lawsuit contesting mass dismissals occurring in California this week.