A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Thursday to reinstate probationary workers who were let go in recent mass firings from six different agencies, including the Department of Defense.
The administration is expected to file an appeal against the ruling by U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco.
The judge’s order came during a federal court hearing over a lawsuit from labor unions and other groups challenging the mass termination being directed by the Office of Personnel Management.
Those plaintiffs said it violates Administrative Procedure Act requirements and congressional laws that deal with agency hiring and firing practices.
BLUE STATE OFFERS TO HIRE FEDERAL WORKERS FIRED BY DOGE
Protesters hold signs in solidarity with the American Federation of Government Employees of District 14 at a rally in support of federal workers at the Office of Personnel Management in Washington, D.C., on March 4. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
The judge earlier ruled OPM lacked the power to fire workers, including probationary employees who normally have less than a year of civil service on the job.
The agencies affected included Defense, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, Treasury and Veterans Affairs.
Alsup appeared incredibly frustrated with the government during the hearing Thursday, saying “this is a sham” at least four times.
He added that by not having anyone from OPM there to testify today, it was preventing them from getting to the truth.
President Donald Trump and White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk depart after looking at Tesla vehicles on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The number of fired workers was in the thousands, according to Reuters.
In late February, Alsup said “OPM does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe,” to hire or fire workers except its own, the Associated Press reported.
“This ruling by Judge Alsup is an important initial victory for patriotic Americans across this country who were illegally fired from their jobs by an agency that had no authority to do so,” Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, reportedly said a the time.
Protesters rally outside of the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on Feb. 5, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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“These are rank-and-file workers who joined the federal government to make a difference in their communities, only to be suddenly terminated due to this administration’s disdain for federal employees and desire to privatize their work,” Kelley added, according to the AP.
Fox News’ Michael Lundin contributed to this report.
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