In a late-breaking development, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a temporary administrative stay of the preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of Executive Order 14251 — the so-called “Exclusion EO.”
That injunction, issued by Judge Donato on June 24, 2025, had barred the government from implementing Section 2 of the Exclusion EO against AFGE and its affiliates. The ruling was a major win for AFGE members, as it protected key bargaining units from being stripped of their union rights under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute.
But on Monday evening, a three-judge panel temporarily paused that victory by issuing a temporary administrative stay while it considers the government’s full request for a stay of the injunction.
What does that mean?
In plain terms: this pause allows the government to again deny federal employees their union rights — at least for now. But this is not the panel’s final decision.
This administrative stay is just a short-term procedural step. The panel will hold a hearing on July 17, 2025, on the stay request. There, AFGE’s legal team will continue to argue that the Exclusion EO is unlawful and that the preliminary injunction should be not be stayed.
This legal fight is far from over.
AFGE is continuing to litigate the underlying case in district court. Even if the preliminary injunction is paused, we will continue the fight to win permanent relief for impacted members and restore their union rights.
What’s at stake?
Everything. This executive order represents a direct attack on union rights, federal employees, and the foundational principles of labor-management relations laid out by Congress in the statute. If left unchecked, it could open the door to even broader exclusions across the government.
How can you help?
The most powerful action we can take right now is building our collective power — and that starts with growing our member-powered funding through E-Dues so that AFGE has the resources to win this fight.
“Now more than ever, we need our members to stand with us,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “We stopped the worst of this executive order once. We can do it again. But we need every member, every steward, and every leader all in helping us organize for victory at the worksite. Together, we will protect our union. Together, we will protect our democracy.”
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