ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A federal judge has revised a ruling that initially ordered the reinstatement of fired federal probationary employees, limiting it to 19 states and the District of Columbia that contested the dismissals.
U.S. District Judge James Bredar, based in Baltimore, issued a preliminary injunction that safeguards these workers as the case advances. Bredar indicated that the lawsuit effectively represents the states’ interests rather than serving as proxies for the affected employees.
The revised order mandates that the 18 federal agencies named in the lawsuit adhere to legal protocols during any future workforce reductions. The Defense Department and the Office of Personnel Management have now been added to this list of agencies.
Bredar previously determined that the mass firings constituted a significant reduction that must comply with regulations requiring advance notice to states impacted by such actions. The lawsuit argues that these mass layoffs impose irreparable hardships on the states and the district, which will need to assist newly unemployed individuals and process unemployment claims.
Maryland’s Attorney General criticized the Trump administration’s justification for the firings, stating there was a systematic attempt to dismantle the federal workforce, potentially in violation of the law. The lawsuit cites that over 24,000 probationary employees have been dismissed since Trump took office.
The government plans to appeal this ruling to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asserting that states lack the authority to influence federal employment decisions. The Justice Department has maintained that the terminations were based on performance rather than constituting large-scale layoffs governed by specific regulations.
In a parallel situation, the administration is appealing a similar ruling from California regarding the reinstatement of probationary employees. Despite the ongoing legal battles, steps have been taken to rehire workers based on these judicial orders. Probationary employees have been particularly vulnerable to layoffs due to their status as newer hires without full civil service protections.
States involved in the lawsuit against the Trump administration include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
