A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to rehire thousands of terminated federal employees, prompting a swift rebuke from the White House which called the ruling “absurd and unconstitutional.”
Key Insights
- Judge William Alsup, a Clinton appointee, ordered the reinstatement of thousands of federal employees who were fired in February 2025, ruling the terminations violated federal “Reduction in Force” procedures.
- The White House plans to appeal, arguing that a “single judge is attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch.”
- The ruling affects employees from six major federal departments including Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Treasury.
- Labor unions praised the decision as a victory for federal workers’ rights, while the administration maintains the firings were part of President Trump’s pledge to reduce government size.
- Judge Alsup accused the government of using performance-based terminations as a pretext to bypass legal requirements for workforce reductions.
Judge Orders Mass Reinstatement of Federal Workers
U.S. District Judge William Alsup has ordered the reinstatement of several thousand federal employees who were terminated around February 13, 2025, across multiple government departments. The affected agencies include the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Treasury. In his ruling, Judge Alsup, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, determined that the widespread dismissals violated established federal procedures for workforce reductions.
The judge specifically found that the Trump administration had bypassed the legally required “Reduction in Force” procedures when terminating the employees. Many of those affected were probationary federal workers, who are typically newer employees or those recently promoted. According to court documents, numerous terminated employees had received positive performance reviews despite being fired for alleged “performance reasons.”
STATEMENT FROM @PressSec:
"A single judge is attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch. The President has the authority to exercise the power of the entire executive branch – singular district court judges cannot abuse the… https://t.co/oMnpJCYoii— Harrison Fields (@HFields47) March 13, 2025
White House Pushes Back Against “Judicial Overreach”
The White House responded forcefully to the ruling, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declaring the administration would “immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order.” The administration’s position centers on the separation of powers, arguing that employment decisions within federal agencies fall squarely within the authority of the Executive Branch.
“A single judge is attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The Justice Department defended the terminations as part of President Trump’s stated goal to reduce the size of the federal government and eliminate inefficiencies. The Department plans to appeal the ruling, maintaining that the President has constitutional authority to direct the operations of executive agencies, including personnel decisions.
Judge Accuses Administration of Obstructing Justice
In unusually harsh language, Judge Alsup accused the government of attempting to “frustrate the judge’s ability to get at the truth” and submitting “sham declarations” regarding the terminations. The judge ordered further discovery in the case, including the deposition of Office of Personnel Management senior adviser Noah Peters, and criticized the withdrawal of a declaration by OPM Acting Director Charles Ezell.
“It is 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 is a lie,” Judge Alsup stated.
The ruling also prohibits the Office of Personnel Management from issuing guidance on employee termination and mandates the reinstatement of the fired workers. Veterans, who make up approximately 30% of the federal workforce, were significantly affected by the terminations, according to court documents.
Labor Unions Celebrate Victory
The lawsuit challenging the terminations was brought by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and other labor unions representing federal workers. Union leaders hailed the court’s decision as a significant win for worker protections in the public sector.
“Public service workers are the backbone of our communities in every way. Today, we are proud to celebrate the court’s decision which orders that fired federal employees must be reinstated and reinforces they cannot be fired without reason,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders.
Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees, similarly praised the ruling, vowing to “keep fighting until all federal employees who were unjustly and illegally fired are given their jobs back.” The unions have argued that the terminations caused irreparable harm to workers and were executed without following legally mandated procedures.
Sources:
- White House slams judge for ordering Trump admin to rehire thousands of federal workers: ‘Absurd and unconstitutional’
- Judge orders thousands of federal workers reinstated; slams ‘sham’ government declaration – ABC News
- Thousands of fired federal workers must be offered reinstatement, a judge rules
