A U.S. judge has ordered several federal agencies to reinstate thousands of probationary employees fired en masse by the Trump administration last month. The ruling, delivered by District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, condemned the dismissals as a “sham” intended to sidestep legal workforce reduction procedures.
The order applies to employees from the Departments of Agriculture, Defence, Energy, Interior, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. The Department of Justice argued that the firings were based on guidance rather than an official directive from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). However, Judge Alsup countered this claim, citing termination letters explicitly stating the dismissals were ordered by OPM.
“That should not have been done in our country,” Judge Alsup stated during Thursday’s hearing. “It was a sham in order to avoid statutory requirements.”
Attorney Danielle Leonard, representing government employee unions, said the targeted workers lacked the right to appeal. She highlighted the case of a highly rated employee in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who was fired under false claims of poor performance.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the ruling, accusing the judge of attempting to seize executive hiring and firing powers. “The Trump administration will immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order,” she declared.
Although Elon Musk was not mentioned in court, his role in workforce reductions through the Department of Government Efficiency—nicknamed “Doge”—remains controversial. The White House denies Musk’s leadership, despite Trump referring to him as such last week.
