--- title: President Obama: Federal Judge Blocks Overtime Pay Expansion description: A federal district court judge in Texas blocked the Obama administration's controversial rule to expand overtime pay. canonical: https://time.com/4581610/federal-judge-blocks-president-obama-overtime/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-11-23T17:14:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:59:02.633Z article:section: Politics og:title: Federal Judge Blocks President Obama's Overtime Pay Expansion og:description: Millions of workers were set to gain access to overtime pay og:url: https://time.com/4581610/federal-judge-blocks-president-obama-overtime/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4395836b25fc015d/6988afa58e0601e8c2468624/obama14.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4895 og:image:height: 2753 og:image:alt: Barack Obama, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Federal Judge Blocks President Obama's Overtime Pay Expansion twitter:description: Millions of workers were set to gain access to overtime pay twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4395836b25fc015d/6988afa58e0601e8c2468624/obama14.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Federal Judge Blocks President Obama's Overtime Pay Expansion > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Nov 23, 2016 5:14 PM UTC  President Obama speaks at a town hall with Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 19, 2016. President Obama speaks at a town hall with Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative in Lima, Peru, on Nov. 19, 2016. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Nov 23, 2016 5:14 PM UTC A federal district court judge in Texas blocked the Obama administration’s [controversial rule to expand overtime pay](http://time.com/3915920/barack-obama-overtime-rules/?iid=sr-link1). The nationwide injunction affects millions of workers who would have been eligible for overtime starting Dec. 1 under the rule, which raised the salary limit for overtime pay from $23,000 annually to over $47,000. Earlier this week, Judge Amos Mazzant, an Obama appointee, [sided with states and business owners](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/22/business/document-U-S-Judge-s-Ruling-in-the-Overtime-Case.html) who had argued the rule would have placed a burden on their bottom lines; many businesses said the rule would have led to layoffs. Supporters of the rule, however, said it would significantly benefit low-wage workers. The Department of Labor issued a statement saying the agency would fight the ruling. “We strongly disagree with the decision by the court, which has the effect of delaying a fair day’s pay for a long day’s work for millions of hardworking Americans,” the statement reads. “The department’s overtime rule is the result of a comprehensive, inclusive rule making process, and we remain confident in the legality of all aspects of the rule. We are currently considering all of our legal options.” Regardless of the court’s decision, the future of the overtime rule would have been unknown. President-elect Donald Trump had [promised to roll back regulations on businesses](http://www.wsj.com/video/trump-presidency-could-mean-cuts-to-overtime-pay-rule/737AA8BD-5CBE-484A-8921-CFCAED24EDB9.html) once elected. 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