Summary

A federal judge in California ordered the reinstatement of thousands of probationary (new) federal employees fired under Trump’s workforce reduction efforts.

Judge William Alsup called the firings a “lie,” rejecting claims of poor performance. The ruling affects employees across multiple agencies and blocks the Office of Personnel Management from directing further terminations.

The American Federation of Government Employees welcomed the decision, calling the firings illegal.

Alsup had previously ruled that OPM lacked authority to order the dismissals, and the agency’s revised memo suggests an admission of wrongdoing.