Judge Rules Federal Employee Firings Illegal, Leaves Reinstatement Question

A federal judge, William Alsup of San Francisco, has deemed that the directives issued by the Trump administration to terminate thousands of federal workers were unlawful. The case centered around a directive from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which in February ordered agencies to lay off probationary employees. These employees typically have less than a year of service, although some are longer-serving workers in new positions. The directive led to a lawsuit filed by unions, nonprofits, and Washington State against the Trump administration.

Although the judge affirmed the wrongdoing, Alsup did not order the reinstatement of these employees, citing recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that restrict judicial intervention in executive personnel decisions. The Supreme Court had previously paused an injunction that would have required agencies to reinstate 17,000 employees, citing concerns over its effect on the executive branch’s authority.

Despite the continued harm alleged due to these terminations, Alsup indicated that redress might be possible without reinstatement. He instructed various federal departments, including Defense, Veterans Affairs, and others, to amend the fired employees’ records by mid-November and prohibited further adherence to directives from OPM on firing workers.

Everett Kelley, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, praised the ruling for exposing the inconsistencies in the government’s rationale and confirming the wrongful termination of employees. However, while this legal decision marks a significant acknowledgment of injustice, the lack of immediate reinstatement leaves affected employees in a challenging position as many have since moved on to new roles.

The White House has not provided a comment on these developments. The situation reflects ongoing tensions between judicial interpretations and executive actions, highlighting the delicate balance of power and protection of workers’ rights within federal employment. Despite the complexity and setbacks, the ruling offers transparency about the process and potential avenues for rectifying perceived injustices. This case adds to a pattern of legal scrutiny faced by Trump’s administration concerning federal personnel policies and the broader implications for civil service governance.