Trump’s Mass Firings Ruled Illegal As Judge Rebukes White House Overhaul

In a stinging rebuke to President Donald Trump's aggressive push to shrink the federal bureaucracy, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled Friday that the administration's central human resources office illegally orchestrated the mass dismissal of thousands of probationary employees. The decision vindicates a coalition of labor unions and nonprofits who challenged the firings as an overreach of authority.

Alsup, a federal judge in San Francisco appointed by former President Bill Clinton, declared that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) "unlawfully exceeded its own powers and usurped... powers reserved by Congress to each individual federal agency to hire and fire its own workers." He rejected the government's claim that OPM merely provided "guidance" to agencies, calling their defense unconvincing. The ruling exposes what critics have dubbed a "sham" justification for the terminations, which targeted probationary staff shortly after Trump's January inauguration.

The firings affected more than 25,000 probationary workers across various departments, based on legal declarations compiled during the lawsuit. These employees, often early-career professionals including younger hires and veterans transitioning to new roles, were let go under the pretext of poor performance amid budget cuts—defined broadly as not being "mission critical." "Judge Alsup's decision makes clear that thousands of probationary workers were wrongfully fired," said Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), in a statement. "It exposes the sham record the government relied upon and requires the government to tell the wrongly terminated employees that OPM's reasoning for firing them was false."

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This marks the latest chapter in a protracted legal battle. In March, Alsup initially ordered the reinstatement of the affected workers, citing OPM's likely unlawful actions. However, the U.S. Supreme Court paused that order in April on procedural grounds, without addressing the merits. Now, with his Friday judgment, Alsup has declined to mandate reinstatements due to the passage of time—nearly nine months since the firings. He noted that many workers have since found new employment and may not wish to return, while agencies have undergone significant reorganizations under new priorities, leaving some positions obsolete.

Instead, Alsup directed most defendant agencies to correct personnel records and notify former employees via individual letters that their terminations were not performance-related. Exemptions apply to the State Department and NASA, which were not required to comply. "The terminated probationary employees have moved on with their lives... Many would no longer be willing or able to return to their posts," Alsup wrote, acknowledging the practical challenges of reversal.

The OPM has not yet responded to requests for comment, but the ruling could have broader implications for Trump's workforce reduction strategy, which aimed to eliminate perceived redundancies and align federal operations with his administration's goals. Labor advocates hail it as a victory for due process, while critics of the firings argue it highlights the administration's disregard for congressional oversight in personnel matters. As federal employees navigate ongoing uncertainties, this decision serves as a reminder of the legal boundaries on executive power in reshaping the government.

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