A U.S. federal judge recently ordered the Trump administration to rehire thousands of probationary employees who were terminated in a recent large-scale layoff across multiple federal agencies. This layoff event has attracted widespread attention and triggered legal action.
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03-15, 2025In mid-February of this year, the Republican government intensified its efforts to reduce the number of federal government employees, instructing agencies to dismiss almost all probationary employees who had not yet obtained civil service protection. This move was seen as a further action by the Trump administration to streamline the size of federal agencies.
However, U.S. District Judge William Alsup stated that these dismissals were directed by the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director, Charles Ezell, and that they did not have the authority to do so. This ruling calls into question the government's layoff actions.
The Trump administration immediately appealed the injunction. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the ruling, claiming it attempts to infringe upon the executive branch's authority to hire and fire employees. She stated in a statement: "The Trump administration will immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order."
Judge Alsup's order directs the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of the Treasury to immediately offer reinstatement opportunities to employees who were terminated around February 13th and 14th. He also directed the departments to submit a list of probationary employees within seven days and explain how each agency is complying with his order for each individual.
One of the plaintiffs, Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project, stated that the mass layoffs were not only an attack on the government, agencies, and their ability to function, but also a direct attack on public lands, wildlife, and the rule of law. Judge Alsup slammed the government's attempt to circumvent the laws and regulations governing its workforce reductions by firing probationary employees who lack protection and cannot appeal.
Judge Alsup said he was shocked that employees were told they were being fired for poor performance, even though they had received positive reviews months earlier. He said, "It's sad, it's a sad day when our government fires some good people and says it's based on performance when they know it's a lie. This should not happen in our country."
Government lawyers argued that the mass layoffs were legal because the various agencies reviewed and determined whether the probationary employees were suitable for continued employment. This debate is ongoing, and the outcome of the legal proceedings will have a significant impact on the federal government's hiring policies.
