Judge rules to reinstate fired federal workers in Arizona, other states
PHOENIX (AZFamily/AP) — A federal judge who ordered the Trump administration to reinstate fired federal probationary employees across more than a dozen agencies has now narrowed the scope of his ruling.
The decision will now apply only to workers in the 19 states, including Arizona, and the District of Columbia, that challenged the mass dismissals. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is one of the 20 attorneys general involved in the lawsuit, in which several states sued various federal agencies for unlawfully terminating federal probationary employees. “Firing probationary employees without following the rules was wrong, and it hurt Arizonans,” Mayes stated. “I will continue to fight to ensure the Trump administration follows the law and treats workers fairly.”
U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday night that protects these workers while the lawsuit is ongoing. Bredar wrote, “Only states have sued here, and only to vindicate their interests as states. They are not proxies for the workers.” The preliminary injunction orders 20 federal agencies to reinstate the terminated workers as the court case progresses. It also requires these agencies to adhere to lawful procedures in any future layoffs.
Bredar previously ruled that the firings constituted a large-scale reduction, which is subject to specific regulations, including providing advance notice to affected states. The lawsuit argues that the mass firings will impose irreparable burdens and expenses on the states and the District of Columbia, as they will need to support recently unemployed workers and process claims for unemployment assistance. “When the Trump administration fired tens of thousands of federal probationary employees, they claimed it was due to poor work performance. We know better,” stated Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat leading the case. “This was a coordinated effort to eliminate the federal workforce—even if it meant breaking the law.”
Since Trump took office, at least 24,000 probationary employees have been terminated, according to the lawsuit. The government is appealing this case to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Republican administration contends that the states have no legal basis to influence the federal government’s relationship with its workers. Justice Department lawyers argue that the firings were due to performance issues, not large-scale layoffs governed by specific regulations.
The administration is also appealing a similar order from a judge in California that directed the reinstatement of probationary workers. The Justice Department asserts that federal judges cannot compel the executive branch to reverse its decisions regarding hiring and firing. Nevertheless, the government has been making efforts to rehire terminated workers under those judicial orders.
Probationary workers are often targeted for layoffs across the federal government because they are typically new to their positions and lack full civil service protections. Other states joining the lawsuit against the Trump administration include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
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