Federal Court Ruling Challenges Trump Administration on Mass Worker Firings

A San Francisco federal judge ordered the Trump administration to clarify that probationary workers were not fired for performance. The lawsuit, led by labor unions, challenges mass terminations by six federal agencies. A related Maryland ruling was overturned, maintaining the workers' dismissed status.

In a significant legal development, a US district judge based in San Francisco has mandated the Trump administration to issue written statements to thousands of probationary workers who were dismissed en masse. The statement must clarify that their termination was not performance-related but part of a broader government approach.

This directive follows a lawsuit initiated by labor unions and nonprofits against the mass firings executed in February under the Trump administration. Judge William Alsup, handling the case, previously ruled that several federal agencies must reinstate these workers, arguing the Office of Personnel Management's lack of authority. However, the US Supreme Court blocked this reinstatement order.

A parallel suit in Maryland, led by 19 states, challenged the administration's adherence to required layoff notification laws. Though an initial ruling favored worker reinstatement, the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed this decision, leaving the fate of these workers uncertain.

(With inputs from agencies.)