Concise Summary:
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction requiring six federal agencies (Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury) to immediately reinstate probationary employees who were fired under the Trump administration’s effort to reduce the federal workforce. The judge, William Alsup, determined that the Office of Personnel Management unlawfully directed these agencies to terminate probationary employees, rejecting the Justice Department’s argument that OPM merely provided guidance. The injunction applies to all affected agencies and could be extended to other federal entities in future rulings. Judge Alsup criticized the Justice Department for failing to provide testimony from the acting head of OPM, Charles Ezell, who was originally scheduled to testify on Thursday.
Key Points:
- A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction requiring six federal agencies – VA, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury – to reinstate probationary employees recently fired by the Trump administration.
- The judge’s ruling is based on his belief that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) unlawfully directed these agencies to terminate probationary employees, contradicting the Justice Department’s argument that OPM merely provided guidance.
- Judge Alsup believes the OPM’s actions were unlawful because it instructed all agencies to terminate probationary employees except for those deemed “mission critical.”.
- The judge expressed his dissatisfaction with the Justice Department for not providing testimony from the acting head of OPM regarding the firing decision and issued a statement that this order is effective immediately.
- The judge’s ruling comes after he had ordered the acting OMB director, Charles Ezell, to testify, but ultimately did not appear before the court.
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Original Link: https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/13/politics/judge-opm-probationary-employees-fired-hearing/index.html
User Message: Judge orders Trump administration to reinstate thousands of fired employees at VA, Defense Department and other agencies
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