A federal judge has halted the termination of a Denver employee who lost her job amid the recent citywide layoffs directed by Mayor Mike Johnston to help close a $200 million budget gap.

Jessica Calderon, who served as director of operations and innovation in the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity & Innovation, alleges she and other city employees have been “deliberately targeted” as the city shed workers in August to remedy its looming financial woes.

On Sept. 17, U.S. District Court Judge Nina Y. Wang issued a temporary restraining order blocking the termination of Calderon’s employment until the parties can meet on or before Sept. 24 for a preliminary hearing. 

Calderon sued the Office of the Mayor and her former bosses in June, citing political retaliation in violation of the First Amendment and sex discrimination.

Calderon alleged that she was denied promotions that were given to male colleagues and that Ben Sanders, director of the Mayor’s Office of Social Equity & Innovation, repeatedly confronted her about her connection to Latinos United Neighbors Association (LUNA) and its founder, Lisa Calderón, who ran against Johnston in the 2023 mayoral race.

The two women are not related.

“Having found that Plaintiff has established a likelihood that her termination was motivated by her political associations, the Court cannot conclude that Defendants would have taken the same actions if she were not associated with LUNA and Dr. Calderón,” Wang wrote.

“We respect the judge’s decision and are confident that we will receive a favorable outcome once all facts are presented,” Melissa Sisneros, spokesperson for the City Attorney’s Office, said.

Calderon, who has been on administrative leave since Aug. 18, told The Denver Gazette she refused to sign city paperwork in exchange for severance and benefits. 

“I was not going to sign away my rights,” she said. 

According to court documents, the city expressed concerns about “copycat litigation disrupting the city’s fiscal policy,” which the judge called “speculative.” 

“Even if any such lawsuits arise, courts do not simply grant injunctive relief to any employee facing layoff — future litigants would still need to satisfy the factors for preliminary injunctive relief based on specific facts,” Wang wrote. “And insofar as Defendants claim that granting Plaintiff a temporary injunction against her termination would ‘erode’ the City’s ‘fiscal integrity,’ they have not submitted evidence to substantiate that claim.”

Calderon, who was employed by the City of Denver for more than 20 years, said more than anything, she wants people to know she loved her job.

“I just want to continue doing that work, serving my community,” Calderon said. “I love my work. I loved my team that I was working with, and that was the most important thing to me.”