By Daniel Wiessner

Dec 4 (Reuters) – Unions representing U.S. State Department employees have asked a federal judge to block the agency from laying off more than 1,300 workers on Friday, the latest legal battle over mass job cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration.

The unions in a filing in San Francisco federal court late Wednesday said the looming cuts, which include 1,100 civil service jobs and nearly 250 U.S. Foreign Service positions, are not allowed under a law Congress passed last month to end a 43-day government shutdown.

The law, known as a continuing resolution, prohibits agencies from implementing layoffs through January 30. The Trump administration has told agencies that the law does not apply to job cuts that had been announced before the shutdown began on October 1

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