The judge suggested during a hearing Wednesday that the administration's moves appear targeted toward unions that have opposed his agenda.

The order declares that employees will only attain full employment status if their managers review and sign off on their performance, adding a new obstacle for probationary workers to clear.

In a win for unions, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman of the District of Columbia said an executive order issued in March by President Donald Trump stripping union rights from hundreds of thousands of federal employees was “unlawful.