A California judge has ordered the immediate reinstatement of tens of thousands of federal probationary employees recently fired as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping cuts to the federal workforce.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup, ruling from San Francisco on Thursday, delivered one of the most significant legal setbacks to the Trump administration’s efforts—led by top White House adviser Elon Musk—to drastically reduce the federal bureaucracy.
Alsup ordered six federal agencies—the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Treasury—to reinstate employees who had been unlawfully terminated. He determined that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the government’s HR agency, lacked the legal authority to issue the firings.
While unions challenged layoffs at 16 other agencies, Alsup only found sufficient evidence of improper terminations at the six departments named in his ruling. He criticized the administration for attempting to circumvent federal worker protections by falsely attributing the dismissals to performance issues.
“It is a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie,” Alsup stated.
White House Pushes Back
The ruling, however, does not halt the administration’s broader cost-cutting measures. A request for a temporary hold on the layoffs was denied, allowing the downsizing effort to continue.
In response, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the decision, accusing the judge of overstepping his authority. She suggested an appeal was likely but did not confirm whether the administration would comply with the order.
“The president has the authority to exercise the power of the entire executive branch—singular district court judges cannot abuse the power of the entire judiciary to thwart the president’s agenda,” Leavitt said. “If a federal district court judge would like executive powers, they can try and run for president themselves.”
