'Likely unlawful': US judge halts Trump's mass firings of federal employees

A US federal judge from California on Thursday ordered a temporary halt to the mass firings of federal government employees, which are being carried out by the Trump administration to cut government spending and reduce government workforce.

US District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that the US Office of Personnel Management had no authority to direct federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, to fire employees, even those still on probation with less than a year of experience.

His order covers the Veterans Affairs Department, the National Park Service, the Small Business Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Science Foundation, and other agencies whose job cuts affect the civic groups that sued the Trump administration.

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Since beginning his second term in the White House, Trump and his close aide Elon Musk have been leading efforts to reduce the federal bureaucracy, including job cuts.

Musk heads the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to reduce U.S. government spending.

Alsup ordered OPM, the federal human resources department, to withdraw a January 20 memo and a February 14 email that instructed agencies to identify and fire probationary employees who are not “mission-critical.”

However, he said he could not stop the Defense Department and other agencies from firing workers, as they are not part of the lawsuit filed by unions and nonprofit groups. The Defense Department is expected to dismiss 5,400 probationary employees on Friday.

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But he warned that the mass firings of federal workers, which began two weeks ago, would cause widespread harm, including cuts to national parks, scientific research, and services for veterans.

“Probationary employees are the lifeblood of our government. They come in at a low level and work their way up. That’s how we renew ourselves,” said Alsup, an appointee of former Democratic President Bill Clinton.

The White House and the US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The plaintiffs include the largest federal employee union, the American Federation of Government Employees, along with four other unions and nonprofits that advocate for veterans’ services and national park conservation.