A US federal judge on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to proceed with firing almost every employee working within the Community Relations Service (CRS), a Department of Justice (DOJ) agency known as “America’s Peacemaker.”

US District Judge Indira Talwani declined to grant the plaintiffs’ request for injunctive relief. While Judge Talwani ruled that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits—in that only Congress may eliminate a congressionally-created agency—she held that the plaintiffs have not demonstrated that they will face irreparable harm as a result of the CRS eradication:

Plaintiffs have described needs and services provided by CRS in the past and argue that they “will have nowhere else to turn to receive these critical government services”… But Plaintiffs have not detailed services their organizations currently need such that the deprivation of these services while this litigation is pending would cause them irreparable injury.

In their complaint, the plaintiffs, various community organizations that have received CRS services, alleged that the unilateral dismantling of the CRS violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the separation of powers.

A final decision on the merits of the plaintiffs’ claims has not been rendered.

The suit follows the DOJ’s publishing of its annual Budget and Performance Summary, which states the closure of all CRS offices by the end of the 2025 fiscal year:

The FY 2026 budget reflects the elimination of the Community Relations Service (CRS) as part of the Department of Justice’s reorganization plan. CRS will formally close all its offices by the end of FY 2025. Therefore, no funding has been included in the FY 2026 budget for CRS.

Many are disquieted as the Trump administration’s regular attack on government agencies continues, especially amidst the government shutdown. On Tuesday, a federal judge halted the Trump administration’s plans to lay off thousands of federal employees in the wake of the government shutdown.

The CRS was created by Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and aims to mitigate disputes regarding discrimination based on “race, color, or national origin.” It also works to prevent and investigate hate crimes “based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.”