US judges Rule Against Trump Administration, Demand Workers Be Rehired

In a major legal setback for the Trump administration, federal judges in San Francisco and Maryland have ordered the reinstatement of numerous probationary federal employees who were recently dismissed across various government agencies.

San Francisco ruling: administration lacked authority

Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled on Thursday that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and its acting director, Charles Ezell, acted without proper authority in executing mass terminations.

He directed several departments—including Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury—to reinstate employees dismissed around February 13 and 14. These agencies must report back within seven days on the number of affected probationary employees and their compliance with the order.

Alsup criticized the administration’s method of terminating workers under the pretext of poor performance, despite many having received recent positive evaluations. He argued that the move circumvented workforce reduction regulations and deprived probationary employees of appeal rights.

In a second ruling within 24 hours, U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Maryland temporarily halted the widespread terminations and mandated the reinstatement of thousands of affected workers. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by 19 states and the District of Columbia, which challenged the legality of the dismissals.

State governments argued that the administration violated established regulations governing large-scale layoffs, leaving them scrambling to support those who had abruptly lost their jobs.

Administration appeals: unions push back

The Trump administration swiftly appealed the San Francisco ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the ruling “absurd and unconstitutional,” vowing to fight back.

Meanwhile, labor unions and advocacy groups welcomed the court decisions, calling the mass terminations an attack on public services and workers’ rights. Erik Molvar, executive director of the Western Watersheds Project, decried the firings as “a direct assault on public lands, wildlife, and the rule of law.”

Federal workforce impact

The federal system employs approximately 200,000 probationary workers, including new hires and recently promoted staff. In California alone, about 15,000 employees work in roles ranging from fire prevention to veterans’ services.

While the courts have ruled in favor of the dismissed employees, a Washington D.C. judge ruled against labor unions, directing affected workers to follow existing employment procedures. Government lawyers continue to defend the dismissals, citing individual agency reviews of probationary employees.

ALSO READ: UN Security Council Condemns Violence in Syria’s Coastal Region, Says Diplomats