On Thursday, March 13th, a federal judge ordered the immediate reinstatement of thousands of probationary federal employees dismissed under the Trump administration’s workforce reduction efforts.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that the terminations violated federal law and applied to employees at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury. He also barred the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from issuing further termination guidance.
Alsup condemned the firings as a “sham” designed to bypass federal reduction-in-force (RIF) laws, asserting that the government falsely cited performance issues to justify the dismissals. “It is a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie,” he stated.
The judge also criticized the Justice Department for obstructing the case, reprimanding government lawyers for withdrawing a sworn declaration from OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell and refusing to make him available for questioning. “You’re not helping me get at the truth. You’re giving me press releases, sham documents,” he told a DOJ attorney.
Alsup ordered the immediate deposition of OPM senior adviser Noah Peters, who was connected to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. He also raised concerns about the administration’s efforts to weaken the Merit Systems Protection Board.
The White House vowed to fight the ruling. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it “absurd and unconstitutional,” adding, “If a federal district court judge would like executive powers, they can try and run for President themselves.”
The Justice Department has appealed the decision.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, welcomed the ruling. “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,” he said.
Alsup clarified that agencies have the authority to reduce staff, but only if they adhere to federal law
