Trump DOJ Appeals to Supreme Court After Judge Orders Reinstatement of 16,000 Fired Probationary Employees
The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken its battle against a San Francisco-based federal judge’s order to the Supreme Court, after U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the administration to reinstate 16,000 federal employees who were fired during their probationary period.
Judge Alsup, a Clinton appointee, ruled that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) violated federal law when it terminated thousands of workers from six government agencies without due process. The ruling affects employees from the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury, and Agriculture.
Judge Alsup Blasts Trump Administration Over Firings
In his harshly worded opinion, Judge Alsup accused the Trump administration of misleading the court about the nature of the dismissals, claiming that many of the firings were unjustified.
“It is a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie,” Alsup said.
“That should not have been done in our country. It was a sham in order to avoid statutory requirements.”
Alsup’s ruling orders the six federal agencies to offer reinstatement to the dismissed probationary workers, a major legal victory for federal employee unions who challenged the firings.
DOJ Slams Judge’s “Extraordinary” Overreach
The Trump administration, however, argues that Alsup’s ruling represents a dangerous judicial overreach that usurps the Executive Branch’s authority to manage its workforce.
DOJ official Chad Mizelle strongly criticized the judge’s decision in a legal brief filed with the Supreme Court, arguing that it would set a precedent where judges could interfere in government personnel decisions at will.
“The court’s preliminary injunction thus let third parties hijack the employment relationship between the federal government and its workforce,” Mizelle wrote.
“Like many other recent orders, the court’s extraordinary reinstatement order violates the separation of powers, arrogating to a single district court the Executive Branch’s powers of personnel management on the flimsiest of grounds and the hastiest of timelines.”
Mizelle warned that allowing this ruling to stand would cripple the government’s ability to enforce discipline and manage performance issues, turning federal employment into a permanent entitlement rather than a merit-based system.
“That is no way to run a government. This Court should stop the ongoing assault on the constitutional structure before further damage is wrought.”
The Supreme Court’s Role
The DOJ is asking the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and halt Judge Alsup’s order before it takes effect.
The administration argues that the firing of probationary employees falls squarely under the president’s authority and that Alsup’s ruling sets a dangerous precedent by giving federal judges the power to micromanage employment decisions.
This case is expected to be a landmark decision on executive authority and the limits of judicial intervention in government employment policies.
The Political Battle Over Federal Employment
This legal battle reflects a broader ideological clash over the future of the federal workforce.
- The Trump administration has been aggressively reforming civil service protections, aiming to make it easier to fire underperforming government employees and eliminate bureaucratic inefficiencies.
- Federal employee unions and Democrats have fought back against these efforts, arguing that Trump’s policies amount to a political purge and weaken worker protections.
The reinstatement of 16,000 employees would represent a major setback for Trump’s efforts to streamline the federal workforce and remove deep-state bureaucrats resistant to his administration’s policies.
What’s Next?
The Supreme Court could take immediate action by issuing a stay on Alsup’s ruling, preventing the reinstatements from moving forward while the case is litigated.
If the court sides with the DOJ, it would reinforce the president’s broad authority to fire federal workers—even those still in their probationary periods.
If the court upholds Alsup’s ruling, it could severely limit the president’s ability to reshape the federal workforce, forcing agencies to go through lengthy legal battles before removing employees.
Conclusion
The battle over these 16,000 probationary employees is not just about employment policy—it’s about the balance of power between the executive and judicial branches.
As President Trump pushes to reshape the federal bureaucracy, courts like Alsup’s are throwing up legal roadblocks.
The Supreme Court’s decision in this case could have far-reaching consequences for the administration’s ability to control and reform the government workforce—setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown over presidential power.