In a significant legal development, two U.S. federal judges have issued mandates for President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate thousands, possibly tens of thousands, of probationary federal workers who were recently dismissed in a sweeping move across various agencies. This judicial intervention temporarily halts the administration’s effort to drastically decrease the number of federal employees.
According to rulings by each judge, the methodology used in conducting these massive dismissals was found to have legal defects, prompting an order for the reinstatement of the employees, at least on a temporary basis. While the Trump administration has already filed an appeal to one of these rulings, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized it, arguing that it infringes upon the president’s exclusive authority to manage federal employment. “The Trump Administration will immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order,” Leavitt commented.
The ruling issued by U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco highlighted that firings within six agencies were orchestrated under the directive of the Office of Personnel Management, led by Acting Director Charles Ezell, who was deemed to have acted outside his authorization. Concurrently, Judge James Bredar in Baltimore concluded that the laid-off employees did not receive the legally mandated notices typically required for large-scale layoffs, such as the minimum 60-day advance notice.
Judge Bredar, appointed during Barack Obama’s presidency, decided to temporarily halt the dismissal process and mandated that the employment conditions revert to their state prior to the layoff announcements. His decision responded to a lawsuit initiated by nearly two dozen states, which claimed these dismissals were not only unlawful but were already exerting pressure on state governments to accommodate the abruptly unemployed.
Approximately 24,000 probationary workers are reported to have been dismissed since President Trump’s tenure began, according to the lawsuit, although the administration has yet to confirm these figures. The Trump administration maintains that the states do not have the authority to interfere in federal dealings with their employees, arguing instead that these dismissals are performance-based rather than being blanket reductions governed by specific guidelines. The Justice Department insists that the dismissals were proper and justified.
Probationary federal workers, usually less secure as they are often new recruits or without full civil service protection, have found themselves particularly vulnerable to the government’s downsizing efforts. The reinstatement order from Judge Alsup requires immediate job offers to those dismissed, specifically targeting sectors like Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury, whose employees were dismissed around early February.
This temporary court order emerged from a lawsuit filed by a labor union coalition as the Trump administration strategizes on reducing the federal workforce size. Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project, a plaintiff in the case, stated, “These mass-firings of federal workers were not just an attack on government agencies and their ability to function, they were also a direct assault on public lands, wildlife, and the rule of law.”
Judge Alsup was notably troubled by what appeared to be attempts by the government to bypass regulations for workforce reduction by terminating probationary employees who lack the ability to contest dismissals. He described the situation as disheartening, particularly when employees praised for their performance are abruptly dismissed under false pretenses.
Federal attorneys argue that these dismissals were lawful based on individual agency assessments of job performance suitability. However, Judge Alsup expressed skepticism about these assertions, especially after the withdrawal of a written testimony from OPM’s acting director, Charles Ezell, who neither attended a planned evidentiary hearing nor provided further information.
With an estimated 200,000 probationary workers positioned across federal entities, employees ranged from entry-level to newly promoted positions. In California alone, about 15,000 of these workers serve in roles like fire prevention and veteran services. The lawsuit lodged by unions and nonprofits, representing diverse interests including parks and veterans, indicated that several departments relayed termination instructions originating from their personnel offices via template emails citing performance issues.
