A federal judge in Baltimore has revised a sweeping ruling that originally mandated the Trump administration to reinstate fired federal probationary employees nationwide.
According to AP News, U.S. District Judge James Bredar narrowed his previous order to now only apply to workers in the 19 states and District of Columbia that challenged the mass dismissals through legal action.
The preliminary injunction issued Tuesday night maintains protection for affected workers while litigation proceeds. The revised ruling requires 20 federal agencies, including the newly added Defense Department and Office of Personnel Management, to follow proper protocols when conducting workforce reductions.
The lawsuit alleges that at least 24,000 probationary employees have lost their jobs since Trump assumed office. These workers, typically new to their positions, were particularly vulnerable to termination due to their limited civil service protections.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, who leads the legal challenge, strongly criticized the administration's actions. He asserted that the firings were part of a coordinated strategy to diminish the federal workforce rather than address genuine performance issues.
The states argue that these terminations will create substantial financial burdens as they must now support unemployed workers and process unemployment assistance claims.
The Trump administration maintains that states have no authority to interfere with federal employment decisions. Justice Department lawyers defend the terminations as performance-based rather than mass layoffs requiring specific regulatory compliance.
The government has appealed the case to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. They face a similar legal challenge in California, where another judge ordered worker reinstatements.
The Justice Department argues that federal judges lack authority to override executive branch employment decisions. Despite these objections, the administration has begun taking steps to rehire terminated workers under existing court orders.
Maryland Attorney General Brown stated:
When the Trump Administration fired tens of thousands of federal probationary employees, they claimed it was due to poor work performance. We know better. This was a coordinated effort to eliminate the federal workforce –- even if it meant breaking the law.
The coalition of states challenging the Trump administration's actions includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Judge Bredar emphasized in his ruling that the states are acting to protect their own interests rather than serving as proxies for individual workers. His decision requires agencies to provide advance notice to affected states before implementing future workforce reductions.
A federal judge has modified his earlier ruling on reinstating fired federal probationary employees, now limiting its application to 19 states and Washington D.C. that filed legal challenges. The case centers on the Trump administration's termination of roughly 24,000 probationary workers, which states argue was an improper mass reduction in force requiring advance notice. As the government appeals to both the 4th Circuit and Supreme Court, they must follow proper protocols for any future workforce reductions while continuing steps to rehire previously terminated workers under existing court orders.
