Judge Orders Trump to Reinstate Thousands of Fired Federal Workers 

The Trump Administration must immediately offer reinstatement to thousands of probationary federal workers who were recently unlawfully fired, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

The order from Judge William Alsup, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, is a major rejection of President Donald Trump’s attempt to slash the federal workforce, though the Trump administration will likely appeal. 

Alsup’s order came as part of a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and organizations challenging the dismissals. It applies to employees dismissed at the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury on or about Feb. 13 and 14. That amounts to around 24,000 employees according to estimates from the Government Executive.

The judge previously found that the government’s human resources office, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), unlawfully exceeded its authority by ordering agencies to fire probationary workers. 

During a hearing Thursday, Alsup said OPM’s order and the firing process it initiated was a “sham.” He also chastised the Department of Justice’s handling of the case and questioned whether Trump administration lawyers were withholding information on who directed the mass firings.

The judge noted that the Justice Department refused his order to make acting OMB director Charles Ezell available for testimony Thursday.