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Monday, Mar 17, 2025
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Federal Judge Orders Reinstatement of Thousands of Fired Probationary Federal Employees
Preliminary injunction granted to reinstate workers across multiple federal agencies amid claims of unjust terminations.
A federal judge in California has granted a preliminary injunction requiring the reinstatement of thousands of probationary workers who were terminated from their positions within various federal agencies.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup in the Northern District of California, affects employees from the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and Department of the Treasury.
The litigation was initiated by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in response to the mass firings, which reportedly affected at least 30,000 probationary federal employees.
Terminations were reportedly enacted under the Trump administration as part of a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing federal workforce numbers and expenditures.
Many of those individuals claimed that the reasons for their dismissals—primarily cited as poor performance—were inaccurate and contradicted by their positive performance evaluations.
In his ruling, Judge Alsup criticized the government's assertion that these workers had performance issues, characterizing the claim as untrue.
"It is sad, a sad day when our government would fire some good employees and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie," he stated during the court proceedings.
In addition to reinstating the workers, Judge Alsup issued an order prohibiting the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from providing guidance to federal agencies regarding future terminations.
The ruling also called for the potential reopening of channels for terminated workers to appeal their dismissals, which may have been undermined by mass layoffs at the appeals board.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating, "We are grateful for these employees and the critical work they do, and AFGE will keep fighting until all federal employees who were unjustly and illegally fired are given their jobs back."
In contrast, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized the judge's decision, asserting that his ruling represented an overreach of judicial authority into executive functions.
"A single judge is attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the executive branch," Leavitt remarked, indicating that the Trump administration plans to contest the order.
Prior to this ruling, the U.S. Department of Justice did not make the acting head of the Office of Personnel Management, Charles Ezell, available for court testimony related to the firings.
Previously, Judge Alsup had ruled on February 27 that the dismissals were illegal as the OPM lacked the authority to mandate them.
Following this, the OPM revised its memo originally issued on January 20, which AFGE argued represented an acknowledgment of unlawful guidance in the termination processes.
The union stated, "Every agency should immediately rescind these unlawful terminations and reinstate everyone who was illegally fired," emphasizing their advocacy for the rights of affected federal employees.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup in the Northern District of California, affects employees from the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, and Department of the Treasury.
The litigation was initiated by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in response to the mass firings, which reportedly affected at least 30,000 probationary federal employees.
Terminations were reportedly enacted under the Trump administration as part of a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing federal workforce numbers and expenditures.
Many of those individuals claimed that the reasons for their dismissals—primarily cited as poor performance—were inaccurate and contradicted by their positive performance evaluations.
In his ruling, Judge Alsup criticized the government's assertion that these workers had performance issues, characterizing the claim as untrue.
"It is sad, a sad day when our government would fire some good employees and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie," he stated during the court proceedings.
In addition to reinstating the workers, Judge Alsup issued an order prohibiting the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from providing guidance to federal agencies regarding future terminations.
The ruling also called for the potential reopening of channels for terminated workers to appeal their dismissals, which may have been undermined by mass layoffs at the appeals board.
AFGE National President Everett Kelley expressed satisfaction with the ruling, stating, "We are grateful for these employees and the critical work they do, and AFGE will keep fighting until all federal employees who were unjustly and illegally fired are given their jobs back."
In contrast, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized the judge's decision, asserting that his ruling represented an overreach of judicial authority into executive functions.
"A single judge is attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the executive branch," Leavitt remarked, indicating that the Trump administration plans to contest the order.
Prior to this ruling, the U.S. Department of Justice did not make the acting head of the Office of Personnel Management, Charles Ezell, available for court testimony related to the firings.
Previously, Judge Alsup had ruled on February 27 that the dismissals were illegal as the OPM lacked the authority to mandate them.
Following this, the OPM revised its memo originally issued on January 20, which AFGE argued represented an acknowledgment of unlawful guidance in the termination processes.
The union stated, "Every agency should immediately rescind these unlawful terminations and reinstate everyone who was illegally fired," emphasizing their advocacy for the rights of affected federal employees.
