Judge blocks Trump’s and DOGE mass firings and thousands of federal workers must be rehired

A federal judge ruled Thursday that federal agencies must rehire tens of thousands of probationary employees who were dismissed during President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government.

At least 30,000 probationary employees were let go as part of Trump’s and Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup described the mass firings as a “sham,” designed to bypass legal requirements for workforce reductions.

Alsup ordered the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs to “immediately” offer reemployment to all dismissed probationary workers. The judge declared that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had made an “unlawful” decision to terminate the employees.

According to Alsup, the administration attempted to circumvent federal laws governing workforce reductions by attributing the firings to “performance issues,” even though this was not the true cause. The judge labeled the strategy as “a gimmick.”

“It is a sad day when our government would dismiss hardworking employees and falsely claim it was due to performance,” Alsup said. “Let me be clear: This ruling does not suggest that the government cannot reduce its workforce, but such reductions must comply with the law.”

This is a developing story, and it will be updated as new information becomes available.