Order comes a day after the ‘efficiency’ team sent out orders to lay off 1,500 of the agency’s 1,700 employees

A federal court has blocked the sweeping termination of staff at the top US consumer protection agency, a day after the Trump administration moved to axe around 1,500 of the agency’s 1,700 workforce, while officials investigate whether the action violated existing judicial orders.

The ruling from judge Amy Berman Jackson put a legal hurdle in front of mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced on Thursday, which came after a federal appeals court modified – but did not eliminate – an injunction limiting the agency’s ability to terminate employees.