Trump Administration Moves to Reinstate Fired Federal Workers Following Court Orders

 

The United States General Services Administration Building. GSA is one of the agencies complying with two recent court orders to place fired employees. Kent Nishimura / Getty

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Federal Court Orders Halt Mass Firings of Probationary Federal Workers

The Trump administration is preparing to comply with multiple court rulings that mandate the reinstatement of tens of thousands of recently fired federal employees, according to officials from three agencies briefed on the situation.

While these employees—who were either newly hired, recently promoted, or transferred—will not immediately return to their jobs, they will be placed on paid administrative leave. The reinstatements follow two separate court rulings issued on Thursday, affecting over 30,000 federal workers who were recently dismissed in a mass purge directed by the administration.

Court Rulings and Impact

1. First Ruling (California Court - Judge William Alsup)
   • Issued an injunction on the terminations.
   • Ordered immediate reinstatement of employees at Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury departments.
   • Did not specify an expiration date.
2. Second Ruling (Maryland Court)
   • Ordered reinstatement of probationary employees at 18 federal agencies by March 17.
   • Affected agencies include Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and others.
   • The order is temporary, expiring on March 27 at 8 p.m., unless extended.

Implementation and Reactions

• Agencies have begun reinstating employees, primarily by placing them on administrative leave.
• GSA (General Services Administration) has already notified impacted workers.
• USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) had previously reinstated 6,000 employees after a separate ruling from the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). However, these employees were also placed on leave, and the MSPB order is set to expire next month.

Legal and Administrative Concerns

• Both federal judges and MSPB ruled that the mass firings were unlawful, citing a lack of consideration for employees’ performance or conduct.
• The Trump administration has appealed both rulings.
• Some legal experts suggest the administration may attempt to delay reinstatements until court orders expire, preventing employees from returning to active duty.

Next Steps

• The March 27 deadline will determine whether the Maryland court extends its ruling.
• The appeals process could impact the final resolution.
• Neither the White House nor the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued a response.