Federal Judge orders Trump administration to reinstate fired government workers
Judge William Alsup condemned the mass terminations, asserting they were a deliberate attempt to sidestep legal protocols for workforce reductions.
A federal judge has ruled that thousands of probationary employees, recently dismissed from multiple government agencies under the Trump administration, must be reinstated.
Judge William Alsup condemned the mass terminations, asserting they were a deliberate attempt to sidestep legal protocols for workforce reductions. His ruling affects employees across several departments, including Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.
During a hearing on Thursday, the Department of Justice argued that the firings were carried out based on guidance—rather than a direct mandate—from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The BBC has reached out to OPM for a response.
OPM, a relatively low-profile agency responsible for overseeing federal employment policies, has come under scrutiny amid the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce. Judge Alsup, presiding in San Francisco, dismissed the DOJ’s claims, referencing termination letters that explicitly cited OPM’s role in the dismissals.
Danielle Leonard, an attorney representing a coalition of government employee unions, emphasized that the layoffs targeted probationary employees because they lacked the right to appeal their dismissals.
One case highlighted during the proceedings involved a high-performing government worker in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who received outstanding performance reviews only to be fired for "performance-related reasons." Judge Alsup expressed his dismay at such actions.
The White House, however, fiercely pushed back against the ruling. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused the judge of overstepping judicial authority, arguing that hiring and firing decisions are the prerogative of the executive branch.
Although Elon Musk’s name was not directly mentioned during the hearing, his involvement in the administration’s federal downsizing efforts loomed over discussions. President Trump had previously announced Musk’s role in leading the Department of Government Efficiency—an informal agency dubbed "Doge"—tasked with streamlining the workforce..
