US judges order Trump administration to reinstate thousands of fired federal workers

The News

Judges in two US states ordered thousands of fired federal employees to have their jobs reinstated Thursday, in the most significant blow yet to the efforts by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the federal government.

A district judge in Maryland agreed with 20 Democratic-led states that in firing probationary employees en masse, 18 agencies had violated regulations that require layoffs for government employees to be personalized and come with advance notice.

His order applies to agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Agency for International Development.

In California, another district judge found Thursday that terminations across six agencies were ordered by the Office of Personnel Management’s acting director, who lacked the authority to carry out such layoffs.

The Trump administration has already appealed the California ruling, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the decision an “absurd and unconstitutional order” that the administration would fight.

At least 24,000 probationary employees have been fired since Trump took office, according to the Maryland lawsuit, though it is unclear how many of those will be returning to their posts.