A Maryland judge has temporarily halted the mass dismissals of probationary federal employees and mandated the reinstatement of thousands of those terminated, representing the second ruling of its kind in just one day.
The directive from U.S. District Judge James Bredar was issued late Thursday in response to a lawsuit filed by 19 states along with the District of Columbia against various federal agencies, claiming that the mass firings are unlawful.
“In this instance, the government executed substantial layoffs without providing any prior notice,” Bredar stated. “It alleges that it was not obligated to do so because it claims that each of these thousands of probationary employees was dismissed for ‘performance’ or other individualized reasons. However, based on the evidence presented to the Court, this is not accurate. There were no individualized evaluations of employees; they were simply terminated en masse.”
The states argue that the Trump administration caught them off guard by disregarding the regulations governing large-scale layoffs, which are already impacting state governments as they strive to assist those suddenly without jobs. The lawsuit asserts that at least 24,000 probationary employees have been let go since President Trump took office, although the judge’s attempts to obtain a rough estimate from a government attorney during a hearing on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The Trump administration contends that the states have no standing to influence the federal government’s dealings with its employees. Mr. Trump has asserted that he is targeting fraud, waste, and abuse within an oversized federal apparatus.
In his temporary restraining order, Judge Bredar imposed a 14-day stay on what he termed “illegal” reductions in force. However, this directive did not extend to firings at the Department of Defense, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the Office of Personnel Management.
“Therefore, while it is a narrow margin, at this preliminary stage, and considering that a TRO is ‘an extraordinary remedy that may only be granted upon a clear showing that the plaintiff is entitled to such relief,’…there is insufficient evidence in the record for the Court to conclude that reductions in force likely occurred at these three agencies,” Bredar explained.
Earlier on Thursday, a federal judge in San Francisco also mandated the Trump administration to rehire thousands, if not tens of thousands, of probationary employees who were dismissed in mass firings across several agencies.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup indicated that the terminations were directed by the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director, Charles Ezell, who lacked the authority to carry out such actions.
The administration promptly filed an appeal against the injunction with the Ninth Circuit Court. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the ruling earlier on Thursday as an encroachment on executive power regarding hiring and firing practices.
“The Trump Administration will swiftly contest this absurd and unconstitutional ruling,” she remarked in a statement.
Alsup’s ruling instructs the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior, and the Treasury to promptly offer job reinstatement to employees who were terminated around February 13 and 14. He further directed the departments to report back within seven days, providing a list of the probationary employees and detailing how each agency complied with his order.
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