US Court Rules Trump Administration Mass Probationary Firings Illegal, Bars Reinstatement

A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump's administration unlawfully directed the mass firing of approximately 25,000 probationary federal employees, many with less than a year of service, across numerous agencies. However, U.S. District Judge William Alsup declined to order their reinstatement, citing recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that block court-ordered relief involving executive branch hirings and firings. The judge acknowledged that many affected workers have since found new employment or their positions were eliminated due to government restructuring, making reinstatement impractical. Despite this, Alsup emphasized that the employees continue to suffer harm from the administration's pretextual terminations and ordered 19 federal agencies to update the employees' records to reflect the unlawful nature of the firings by November 14. He also prohibited agencies from following similar firing directives in the future, aiming to provide some redress without reinstatement. Labor unions and nonprofits hailed the ruling as a significant victory that exposes the wrongful termination practices by the Office of Personnel Management under the Trump administration.