A federal judge has ordered the US government to reverse mass firings resulting from directives linked to Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s workforce reduction plans. Judge William Alsup ruled that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) lacks the authority to direct other federal agencies to hire or fire employees. This decision rebukes recent efforts to eliminate staff, particularly affecting probationary workers. The ruling follows lawsuits from unions and advocacy groups challenging the legality of OPM’s orders. The judge emphasized that hiring and firing authority rests with individual agencies, such as the Department of Defense, as per congressional mandate.
Los Angeles, United States:
A federal judge on Thursday mandated that the US government retract mass dismissals associated with Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s initiative to reduce the government’s workforce, according to media reports.
The decision instructs the Office of Personnel Management to revoke directives issued to several federal agencies that led to the layoffs of thousands of employees.
“The Office of Personnel Management has no authority whatsoever under any statute in the history of the universe to hire and fire employees at another agency,” stated US District Judge William Alsup, as reported by The Washington Post.
“Congress has delegated the authority to hire and fire to the agencies themselves. For instance, the Department of Defense possesses statutory authority to hire and fire,” he remarked at the federal court in San Francisco.
This ruling represents the latest legal setback for Trump’s attempts to control the US government.
It follows a ruling from another district judge on the West Coast who blocked his ban on refugee admissions and comes weeks after a court suspended his executive order that sought to overturn the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship.
Thursday’s ruling was issued after unions and advocacy groups filed lawsuits against what they claimed were unlawful directives requiring federal agencies to terminate all probationary employees.
A federal worker in their first or second year of service is deemed probationary, regardless of any promotions from lower ranks.
The directive impacted tens of thousands of individuals.
“OPM, the federal agency responsible for enforcing this nation’s employment laws, has executed one of the most significant employment frauds in the history of this country in one fell swoop,” stated a legal filing by the plaintiffs, according to the Post.
“OPM lacks the constitutional, statutory, or regulatory authority to mandate other federal agencies to terminate employees whom Congress permitted those agencies to hire and manage,” the attorneys argued.
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