(Image Credit: IMAGN) The Kentucky Sentate gavel rests on the wooden sound block in the Kentucky Senate chambers before the first day of Concurrence began at the state Capitol in Frankfort, Ky. March 13, 2025.
Washington D.C. – A federal judge has ordered multiple federal agencies to reinstate tens of thousands of employees who were fired during the Trump administration’s aggressive effort to shrink the federal workforce. U.S. District Judge William Alsup, in a scathing ruling Thursday, declared the mass dismissals a “sham” and accused the government of unlawfully circumventing civil service protections.
The ruling mandates that agencies—including the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs—“immediately” offer reinstatement to all probationary employees who lost their jobs. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which oversaw the firings, was found to have acted illegally in its execution of the terminations.
Alsup, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, rebuked the Trump administration’s handling of the layoffs, calling them a “gimmick” designed to sidestep legal protocols for reducing the workforce. While acknowledging that federal agencies have the right to implement reductions in force (RIFs), Alsup emphasized that they must follow proper procedures.
“It is sad, a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie,” Alsup said during the hearing.
The lawsuit challenging the firings was brought by federal employee unions, who argued that the administration had misused performance-based dismissals as a cover for politically motivated workforce reductions. Probationary employees—who typically have fewer job protections than permanent federal workers—were disproportionately affected.
Alsup’s ruling came amid heated exchanges with Justice Department attorneys, whom he accused of obstructing the truth. He specifically took issue with the government’s refusal to allow key officials, including acting OPM head Charles Ezell, to testify.
“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,” Alsup told a Justice Department attorney. “I tend to doubt that you’re telling me the truth. … I’m tired of seeing you stonewall on trying to get at the truth.”
The Justice Department argued that OPM merely provided guidance to agencies and did not directly order the terminations. However, the judge noted that multiple agencies told employees they were instructed by OPM to fire all probationary workers deemed “non-essential.”
Alsup’s ruling does not guarantee that all affected employees will retain their jobs permanently. Federal agencies still have the authority to carry out RIFs, provided they adhere to legal procedures.
“The words that I give you today should not be taken that some wild-and-crazy judge in San Francisco said that an administration cannot engage in a reduction in force,” Alsup stated. “It can be done, if it’s done in accordance with the law.”
The decision follows a separate ruling last week in which a federal civil service board temporarily reinstated 5,000 probationary employees at the Department of Agriculture. However, Alsup’s ruling marks the most sweeping legal rebuke of the Trump administration’s federal workforce cuts to date.
Federal agencies are now working to finalize their RIF plans, raising concerns that some reinstated employees may still face layoffs in the near future. Meanwhile, Alsup continues to seek clarity on the administration’s position that fired workers should appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Federal Labor Relations Authority—two agencies that Trump has actively sought to reshape.
The mass firings disproportionately affected workers at agencies such as veterans’ hospitals and national parks, according to union attorneys. Many of those dismissed had recently received promotions, placing them back into probationary status despite years of service.
The broader implications of Alsup’s ruling remain unclear, but labor advocates view it as a significant victory against what they call politically motivated purges within the federal government.
Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council of Education, warned that the administration’s actions could have long-term consequences for government institutions.
“This ruling underscores the importance of due process in federal employment,” Mitchell said. “Without it, the federal workforce would be subject to political whims rather than fairness and legal protections.”
While the Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision, for now, tens of thousands of former federal employees are set to be offered their jobs back—a rare legal victory in an era of deep political and bureaucratic conflict.
