A federal judge in San Francisco ordered US President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate numerous probationary workers who were dismissed across various agencies.
Judge William Alsup criticised the government’s methods on Thursday whilst halting the administration’s substantial reduction of federal staff. The judge determined that the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director, Charles Ezell, executed terminations without proper authority.
He further mandated several departments, including Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury, to promptly offer reinstatement to staff terminated around February 13 and 14. The departments must provide details within seven days regarding probationary employees and their compliance with the directive.
The administration lodged an appeal against the injunction with the Ninth Circuit Court. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s position, stating, “The Trump Administration will immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order.”
The order resulted from legal action by labour unions and organisations opposing the Republican administration’s federal workforce reduction efforts.
Judge Alsup expressed concern about the government’s circumvention of workforce reduction regulations by dismissing probationary workers lacking appeal rights. He criticised the practice of citing poor performance as grounds for dismissal despite recent positive evaluations.
“These mass-firings of federal workers were not just an attack on government agencies and their ability to function, they were also a direct assault on public lands, wildlife, and the rule of law,” said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project, one of the plaintiffs.
Multiple lawsuits challenge these federal workers’ dismissals. A Maryland judge showed similar scepticism towards the administration. During a separate hearing concerning probationary workers in Maryland, a federal judge suggested he could issue an order reinstating all the dismissed probationary workers. At the hearing, District Judge James Bredar listened to arguments from a group of states contending that the widespread dismissals, though claimed to be for cause, actually constituted a “reduction in force” – a type of mass termination requiring specific governmental procedures. The judge appeared to favour this perspective, stating: “This case isn’t about whether or not the government can terminate people. It’s about if they decide to terminate people, how they must do it.” He indicated that a written decision on the matter would be delivered “promptly.”
Meanwhile, a Washington DC judge ruled against unions, directing workers to follow established employment procedures.
Government lawyers maintained the dismissals’ legitimacy, citing individual agency reviews of probationary employees.
The federal system includes approximately 200,000 probationary workers, comprising new employees and recently promoted staff. California employs about 15,000, serving in various capacities from fire prevention to veterans’ services, according to the coalition’s lawsuit.
The plaintiffs documented that numerous agencies cited OPM directives for the terminations, using template emails citing performance issues as justification.