A federal judge in Northern California Thursday ordered the White House Office of Personnel Management to temporarily stop mandating the mass firing of federal employees, calling it a presumptively "illegal" overreach.

President Donald Trump has ordered all federal agencies to begin drafting plans for mass layoffs in their departments. It's the latest push from the president as he works to clear thousands of workers from the federal payroll.

The Trump administration is directing federal agencies to begin preparations for large-scale layoffs and restructuring, and submit plans by March 13, according to a memo.

President Donald Trump's administration says federal agencies should begin planning to eliminate employee positions. The process is known as a reduction in force.

Federal officials circulated a memo asking agency leaders to plan even more job reductions after thousands of federal workers were fired in recent weeks.

The cuts come amid growing attrition from an aging federal workforce, which the Biden administration worried would hollow out the government without intervention.