In a significant legal setback for the Trump administration, federal judges in California and Maryland have ordered the reinstatement of thousands of probationary federal employees who were dismissed in a large-scale layoff spanning 19 government agencies.
The rulings deal a major blow to President Donald Trump’s push, led by senior adviser Elon Musk, to shrink the federal workforce. Agencies must now submit revised plans for additional job cuts and budget reductions by Thursday.
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Court Rulings Challenge Mass Firings
U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore ruled in favor of 20 Democrat-led states, finding that 18 federal agencies had unlawfully terminated probationary employees in bulk. His ruling mandates reinstatement for workers at key agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), among others.
Other affected departments include Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.
Judge Bredar dismissed the administration’s claims that the firings were based on individual performance issues, citing the rapid and large-scale nature of the dismissals as evidence to the contrary.
Earlier, U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco issued a similar ruling, ordering the reinstatement of probationary employees in six agencies, including the Department of Defense, which was not covered by the Maryland ruling. Judge Alsup criticized the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for authorizing the mass layoffs without proper legal authority.
“It is a sad day when our government fires good employees and falsely claims it was due to poor performance,” Alsup remarked.
White House Pushes Back
The Trump administration has vowed to appeal the rulings. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that district judges cannot override the President’s authority over the executive branch.
Defending the layoffs, the administration insists that terminating probationary employees is a lawful move to streamline operations, as they do not have the same job protections as permanent staff.
24,000 Workers Affected
Since Trump’s return to office, at least 24,000 probationary employees have been dismissed. These workers, typically in their first year of service, have limited recourse to challenge terminations.
However, the states contesting the layoffs argue they constitute mass firings that require advance notice under federal regulations. The sudden job losses, they claim, have caused a spike in unemployment claims and increased demand for social services.
The lawsuit before Judge Alsup was filed by unions, nonprofit organizations, and the state of Washington. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 800,000 federal workers, is among the plaintiffs.
AFGE President Everett Kelley celebrated the ruling, accusing the administration of deliberately weakening federal agencies.
Previously, Judge Alsup had temporarily blocked OPM from enforcing the layoffs but did not order reinstatements. However, after further legal challenges, he has now mandated that dismissed employees return to their positions.
Meanwhile, the Merit Systems Protection Board, which oversees federal employment disputes, recently instructed the Agriculture Department to reinstate nearly 6,000 probationary workers, at least on a temporary basis.
These rulings set the stage for an escalating legal battle between the Trump administration and the judiciary as agencies prepare for another round of workforce reductions in the coming weeks.
