Two US judges have ordered several federal government agencies to “immediately” reinstate probationary employees fired en masse by the Trump administration last month. These firings represented the latest wave in the administration’s effort to rapidly shrink the federal workforce.
US District Judge William Alsup in California issued one of the orders, calling the firings a “sham” designed to circumvent proper procedures for reducing federal staff. In his preliminary injunction issued from the bench Thursday, Alsup mandated that the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury rehire the terminated employees. The judge indicated he might extend the order to cover additional federal agencies in the future.
Shortly afterward, a second ruling in a similar Maryland case brought by Democratic state attorneys general emerged. This temporary restraining order, effective for two weeks, covers 18 agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the US Agency for International Development.
The White House swiftly condemned both rulings as “absurd and unconstitutional.” The cases challenged the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)’s role in the dismissals, which affected thousands of employees and created significant disruption across various federal agencies. Some departments subsequently rehired certain workers amid the chaos.
In response to the rulings, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) accusing the judges of “attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch.” Leavitt emphasized, “The President has the authority to exercise the power of the entire executive branch – singular district court judges cannot abuse the power of the entire judiciary to thwart the President’s agenda.” The statement concluded that the Trump Administration would “immediately be fighting back” against the orders.
Judge Alsup justified his decision by determining that the OPM unlawfully directed agencies to terminate probationary employees, most of whom had less than a year of service. He firmly rejected the Department of Justice’s argument that the firings resulted from guidance rather than an official OPM directive, citing evidence including termination letters that explicitly referenced OPM instructions.
The judge had ordered acting OPM Director Charles Ezell to testify during Thursday’s hearing. However, the Justice Department refused to make Ezell available for what would likely have been intense questioning from attorneys representing the labor unions. Instead, the government withdrew Ezell’s previously submitted declaration, which had been their only evidence in the case.
Following the ruling, the Justice Department indicated it would appeal to the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
These mass terminations align with a central priority of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. The recent court decisions represent the most significant legal challenges yet to the administration’s workforce reduction authority.
Danielle Leonard, representing a coalition of government employee unions, noted that probationary employees were specifically targeted because they lacked appeal rights. Judge Alsup highlighted this injustice, stating, “I just want to say it is a sad day when our government would fire a good employee and say it’s for performance when they know good and well that’s a lie.” He referenced a government worker in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who had received high performance evaluations but was terminated for alleged performance issues.
The OPM, once relatively unknown to the public, has gained significant attention due to President Trump’s aggressive federal workforce reduction efforts. Established as an independent agency in 1978, the OPM manages the United States federal civil service and serves as the chief human resources agency and personnel policy manager for the Federal Government. Its roots trace back to 1883, when the Civil Service Reform Act created the competitive civil service system.