Federal Judges Order the Reinstatement of Thousands of Workers and Stop Trump’s Mass Firings

Thousands of workers who were laid off as a result of the Trump and Musk-led layoffs have been ordered to be reinstated by US courts.

President Donald Trump’s broad attempts to reduce the size of the federal workforce have been severely hampered by the restoration of thousands of probationary federal employees by federal judges in California and Maryland.

19 government entities were found to have broken employment laws by conducting mass layoffs without adequate notice or due process, according to the rulings, which were released on Thursday.

Those 18 departments, which included the Treasury Department, the Department of Education, and the Environmental Protection Agency, were found to have violated the protocols necessary for mass layoffs by US District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore.

“The sheer number of employees terminated in a matter of days belies the government’s claim that dismissals were based on individual performance,” he said.

Separately, US District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had overreached itself by ordering mass dismissals, preventing the firing of probationary employees at six departments, including the Department of Defense.

As part of its aim to reduce the federal workforce, the Trump administration has already fired at least 24,000 probationary employees through the Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by consultant Elon Musk.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that “the President has the authority to exercise the power of the entire executive branch—single district court judges cannot abuse the power of the judiciary to thwart the President’s agenda.” The White House pledged to contest the decisions.

According to the Democratic-led states that brought the action, the terminations were in violation of rules that mandate agencies give state governments 60 days’ notice before large layoffs, which resulted in a spike in jobless claims and a rise in the need for social services.