Fri Mar 14 01:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Federal Judge Orders Reinstatement of Thousands of Fired Probationary Employees, Calling Firings a “Sham”
**San Francisco, CA** – A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction ordering the immediate reinstatement of thousands of probationary federal employees fired last month as part of the Trump administration’s workforce reduction effort. U.S. District Judge William Alsup, appointed by President Bill Clinton, deemed the firings a “sham” and ruled that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) unlawfully directed the agencies to conduct the layoffs.
The injunction affects six federal agencies: Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury. Judge Alsup indicated he may expand the order to include other agencies. The Justice Department plans to appeal the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The judge criticized the administration’s justification for the firings, stating that the OPM provided agencies with a template termination letter citing “performance” issues as the reason. He argued this was a maneuver to circumvent the Reductions in Force Act, which sets specific rules for downsizing the federal workforce. “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,” Alsup stated.
The White House strongly denounced the ruling, calling it “absurd and unconstitutional” and asserting the President’s authority over hiring and firing decisions.
The case was brought by labor unions and others challenging OPM’s role. Thousands of employees were affected, with some agencies later rehiring some of the dismissed workers. The judge’s decision is one of the most significant legal challenges yet to the Trump administration’s efforts to rapidly shrink the federal workforce, a key priority spearheaded by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. A similar lawsuit is pending in Maryland.
The ruling followed a heated hearing where Judge Alsup expressed skepticism towards the Justice Department’s refusal to allow the acting OPM Director, Charles Ezell, to testify. Alsup deemed the government’s submitted documents as “sham documents” and “press releases,” lacking transparency and failing to reveal the truth.
Affected employees expressed elation at the judge’s decision. One former IRS employee described widespread celebrations among former colleagues. The legal battle continues, with further arguments expected regarding the employees’ ability to appeal their firings to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
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