A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully ordered the mass firing of thousands of federal employees but stopped short of reinstating them due to recent U.S. Supreme Court guidance.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco found that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) acted unlawfully in February when it directed agencies to terminate probationary employees. Around 25,000 federal workers were affected, many with less than a year in their roles, though some were long-serving employees in new positions.
Unions, nonprofits, and Washington State sued, arguing the move was politically motivated. While Alsup initially issued an injunction requiring agencies to reinstate 17,000 employees, the Supreme Court blocked that order in April, signaling reluctance to allow courts to reverse executive hiring and firing decisions.
Citing the high court’s stance, Alsup said too much had changed since April to order reinstatement, noting that many former employees had already moved on to new jobs while agencies restructured. However, he emphasized that the workers were still harmed by OPM’s false claim of termination “for performance.”
As a remedy, Alsup ordered 19 federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Treasury, to correct personnel records by November 14. He also barred agencies from following similar OPM directives in the future.
Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, praised the decision, stating it exposed the government’s “sham record” and confirmed thousands were wrongfully fired.
The ruling represents a significant rebuke of the Trump administration’s handling of federal workforce policies, though it stops short of restoring jobs. The White House declined to comment.