The mass firings of probationary workers were the first step in broader efforts by Trump and top adviser Elon Musk to drastically shrink the federal workforce and slash government spending.
Most agencies have said they fired a few hundred probationary workers, but others terminated far more. The Treasury Department fired about 7600 people, the Department of Agriculture about 5700 and the Department of Health and Human Services more than 3200, according to court filings.
The states in their lawsuit claim the mass firings were improper because agencies failed to follow a federal regulation requiring them to give state and local governments 60 days notice of mass layoffs, and will lead to a spike in unemployment claims and demand for social services.
On Mar 13, hours before Bredar issued his ruling, a judge in San Francisco separately ordered that probationary workers at six agencies be reinstated, but on different legal grounds. That case involves five of the agencies subject to Bredar’s ruling and the US Department of Defense.
The Trump administration has appealed that decision and asked a San Francisco-based appeals court to pause it pending the outcome of the case.
The judges’ rulings did not bar agencies from firing probationary workers, but took issue with the manner in which the terminations were conducted.
On Friday, Trump-appointed 4th Circuit Judge Allison Rushing wrote separately that while it would not be appropriate to block Bredar’s ruling at the moment, the judge lacked the authority to order reinstatements nationwide rather than only in the states that sued.
“The district court lost sight of who the Plaintiffs are and what injury they claim when it concluded a nationwide injunction was warranted,” Rushing wrote.
The three-judge panel also includes judges appointed by Presidents Ronald Reagan, a Republican, and Joe Biden, a Democrat.
