Judge Orders Reinstatement of Federal Employees Fired by Trump Admin

In a recent court ruling, thousands of federal employees terminated by the Trump administration have been ordered to be reinstated to their jobs within one week. This directive comes from U.S. District Judge William Alsup, who criticized the dismissals as unjustified and labeled them a “sham” to bypass legal obligations. Appointed by former President Bill Clinton, Judge Alsup’s decision was announced at a charged hearing where he questioned the government’s stance on the role of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in the terminations.

The Judge’s Critique

Judge Alsup did not hold back in his critique of the actions taken by the Trump administration, stating, “It was a sham in order to try to avoid statutory requirements.” He emphasized the impropriety of the administration’s justifications for firing federal employees under the guise of poor performance. “It was based on performance when they know good and well that is a lie,” Alsup remarked from the bench.

OPM’s Role Questioned

The court hearing saw a contentious exchange over whether the OPM had directly influenced the terminations. The government argued that the decision to terminate probationary employees was left to individual federal agencies, with OPM acting only as a facilitator. However, Judge Alsup was unconvinced, stating, “The court rejects the government’s attempt to use these press releases and to read between the lines to say the agency heads made their own decision with no direction from OPM.”

Reinstatement Mandate

The ruling mandates that the OPM provide proof within a week that it has offered reinstatement to all affected probationary employees across at least six federal departments, including Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. This decision follows a temporary restraining order issued by Alsup earlier in the month, which found the firings to be illegal and pressed the need for agencies to rehire the probationary employees.

During the hearing, Judge Alsup openly challenged the government’s legal representatives for not presenting OPM officials for cross-examination. He expressed skepticism about the truthfulness of the government’s arguments, stating, “You will not bring the people in here to be cross-examined. You’re afraid to do so because you know, cross-examination would reveal the truth.”

For further details on the previous developments in this ongoing legal battle, visit NPR’s full report on the temporary restraining order issued by Judge Alsup earlier this month.

NPR’s Andrea Hsu contributed to this report.