A federal judge has ordered six federal agencies to reinstate thousands of probationary employees who were fired last month as part of the Trump administration's efforts to downsize the federal workforce. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, requires the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury to immediately rehire the affected workers.
Alsup stated that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) unlawfully directed agencies to terminate probationary employees, who typically have less than a year of service. "The court finds that Office of Personnel Management did direct all agencies to terminate probationary employees with the exception of mission-critical employees," Alsup said, rejecting the Justice Department's argument that OPM merely provided guidance rather than a mandate.
The preliminary injunction was issued from the bench, with the judge emphasizing that the ruling takes effect immediately. "This is the order, and it counts," he said. Alsup also suggested that he might extend the order to cover additional agencies in the future.
The ruling follows a contentious legal battle in which labor unions and other plaintiffs argued that the mass firings violated the Administrative Procedure Act and congressional laws governing federal hiring and termination practices. The Justice Department, which is expected to appeal the decision, has maintained that individual agencies made the termination decisions independently.
Alsup expressed sharp criticism of the Justice Department for not making OPM's acting director, Charles Ezell, available to testify. The judge had ordered Ezell to appear in court but was informed that the Justice Department had instead withdrawn a declaration previously submitted as its main piece of evidence. "You're afraid to do so because you know cross-examination will reveal the truth," Alsup told Justice Department attorney Kelsey Helland. "I tend to doubt that you're telling me the truth."
During the hearing, Alsup repeatedly called the government's actions a "sham," expressing frustration with the lack of transparency. "You're not helping me get at the truth. You're giving me press releases-sham documents," he said, referring to government filings that claimed the agencies acted independently in terminating employees.
The number of dismissed workers was in the thousands, according to Reuters, though an exact figure has not been disclosed. The judge's ruling marks a significant legal setback for the Trump administration's broader push to shrink the federal workforce.
The mass layoffs were part of a broader effort by the administration to restructure government agencies, with OPM allegedly pressuring departments to cut personnel. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit contended that the decision disproportionately targeted newer employees, many of whom had not yet gained the full protections afforded to career civil servants.
