Last week, after labor unions sued, the judge delayed a deadline for the plan to persuade federal workers to quit. A Monday hearing provided little clarity.

A federal judge in Massachusetts said the program would continue to be on hold until he issued a ruling. The government had set a new deadline of Monday night for workers to sign up.

A federal judge extended his pause on the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” program, which is part of a sweeping effort to push government employees out of their jobs.