A federal judge has temporarily halted a Trump administration executive order that aimed to strip collective bargaining rights from thousands of federal employees, including those working in national security-related roles.

Signed in March, the order applied to agencies such as the Departments of Justice and Defense, and could have impacted staff at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, which falls under the Justice Department.

A suit was quickly filed, arguing the directive violated federal labor laws by attempting to sidestep established union protections. Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., sided with the union, issuing a preliminary injunction Friday and questioning the administration’s motives.

Friedman cited a White House fact sheet suggesting the policy was politically driven, targeting unions that had opposed the former president’s agenda. He also challenged the justification that national security required bypassing union negotiations, noting that several affected agencies, like the NIH and USDA, don’t have national security as a core function.

For now, the ruling preserves bargaining rights for federal workers across the country — including those at the Terre Haute federal prison — while the legal challenge continues.