Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 75° Today's Paper


Breaking News

Judge orders Trump to reinstate thousands of fired workers

REUTERS/YURI AVILA/FILE PHOTO
                                San Francisco residents photograph a group of protesters during a demonstration as part of a nationwide series of protests against the mass firings of employees in a campaign by President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk to radically cut back the U.S. bureaucracy, at Fort Mason Park in San Francisco, Calif., on March 1.

REUTERS/YURI AVILA/FILE PHOTO

San Francisco residents photograph a group of protesters during a demonstration as part of a nationwide series of protests against the mass firings of employees in a campaign by President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk to radically cut back the U.S. bureaucracy, at Fort Mason Park in San Francisco, Calif., on March 1.

A California federal judge today ordered six U.S. agencies to reinstate thousands of recently-hired employees who were fired as part of President Donald Trump’s purge of the federal workforce.

The ruling made by U.S. District Judge William Alsup during a hearing in San Francisco applies to the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of Interior and the Treasury Department.

Alsup last month temporarily blocked the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the human resources department for federal agencies, from ordering agencies to fire probationary employees, but declined at the time to require that fired workers get their jobs back.

Probationary workers typically have less than one year of service in their current roles, though some are longtime federal employees. They have fewer job protections than other government workers, but in general can only be fired for performance issues.

Alsup said today that OPM has no power to order firings, and there was evidence that it had improperly directed the termination of workers at the six agencies. He did not order the 16 other agencies named in the lawsuit by unions and nonprofit groups to reinstate workers.

“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’s a lie,” Alsup said.

The potential scale of Trump’s efforts to shrink the U.S. federal government could become clearer today, the deadline for government agencies to submit plans for a second wave of mass layoffs and to slash their budgets.

By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines. Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.