WNAM MONITORING: US District Judge William Alsup on Thursday ordered the Donald Trump administration to immediately reinstate thousands of federal workers fired in early February.
The ruling applies to probationary employees at major agencies, including veterans affairs, agriculture, defense, energy, interior, and Treasury, according to CNN.
Judge Alsup suggested that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had provided agencies with a template for termination letters citing “performance” as the reason, which he described as a “sham” to bypass federal laws governing workforce reductions.
The White House criticized the ruling, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt saying: “A single judge is attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch.”
She said that the administration would fight the order, calling it “absurd and unconstitutional.”
Trump has prioritized cutting federal jobs to reduce government spending and increasing efficiency.
