Trump administration moves to reinstate 24,000 federal workers after judge's order

The Trump administration has taken steps to reinstate thousands of probationary workers who were fired in its effort to downsize the federal government, according to court filings in one of two cases where the terminations were deemed unlawful.
U.S. District Judge James Bredar, an appointee of former President Obama, last week ordered the mass reinstatement of fired probationary workers at 18 federal agencies after determining the government's claims its terminations stemmed from "performance" issues "isn't true."
More than a dozen declarations filed by the government Monday night indicate the administration has moved to reinstate more than 24,000 federal probationary employees. The filings provide the clearest look at the sweeping terminations yet.
In them, officials at the agencies said that most reinstated workers were placed on paid administrative leave, though some have been returned to full employment.
They warned that the change could cause chaos for fully reinstated employees, in particular, who must be onboarded and trained again but could lose their positions once more if an appellate ruling reverses Bredar's decision.
"Whether required by operation of the TRO here or another court or administrative order, reinstatement of removed employees to full duty status could impose burdens on DOE and cause significant confusion and turmoil for the terminated employees," wrote Reesha Trznadel, acting chief human capital officer at the Department of Energy, in one of the filed declarations.
The Trump administration has quickly sought to reshape the federal bureaucracy, including by firing thousands of employees in their probationary period, which typically extends for the first year or two of a given employee’s role.
Bredar's ruling followed a similar order by a federal judge based in San Francisco to reinstate those terminated at six agencies, after he determined the firings were illegal just hours prior. Those six agencies were encompassed by Bredar's ruling, too.
-
Second judge blocks mass firings of probationary federal workers
A second federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from firing federal workers, issuing an order Thursday that probationary employees be reinstated weeks after their dismissal. The ruling, ...The Hill - 4d -
Judge orders Trump administration to reinstate most fired probationary staff
Ruling by California judge applies to thousands of employees dismissed from six federal agencies. A federal judge in California granted a preliminary injunction to reinstate thousands of fired ...The Guardian - 5d -
Federal judge orders Trump admin to reinstate thousands of probationary employees
A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of previously terminated probationary employees across 18 different agencies.ABC News - 3d -
Judges order Trump to rehire thousands of fired federal workers
Two federal courts are ruling that the firings of probationary federal workers were improper and that tens of thousands of those employees must be immediately reinstated. The Trump administration ...NBC News - 4d -
Details on judge's ruling that some government workers must be reinstated after mass firings
A federal judge in Maryland has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily reinstate thousands of probationary federal employees who were recently fired. CBS News congressional reporter ...CBS News - 4d -
Judge orders 6 federal agencies to offer to reinstate fired probationary employees
A federal judge has ordered six federal agencies to offer to reinstate probationary employees who were fired as part of the Trump administration's cuts through the Office of Personnel Management. ...CBS News - 5d -
Appeals court denies Trump's bid to immediately reverse fired federal workers' reinstatement
A federal appeals court in a 2-1 decision Monday declined to immediately block a judge’s order that the Trump administration reinstate fired probationary employees at six federal agencies. The new ...The Hill - 1d -
Judge orders some federal agencies to reinstate thousands of probationary workers
A federal judge ordered that the departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury reinstate probationary employees who were terminated last month.NBC News - 5d -
Federal workers say their future is uncertain even after court rulings call their firings illegal
Two judges ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration needs to reinstate thousands of federal workers it fired across dozens of agencies.NBC News - 4d -
Second judge orders thousands of probationary employees fired by Trump to be reinstated
U.S. District Judge James Bredar's order applies to 12 departments and several agencies that fired probationary workers during the Trump administration.NBC News - 4d -
Judge orders thousands of federal workers reinstated; slams 'sham' admin declaration
The order includes workers fired from the Department of Veterans Affairs.ABC News - 4d -
Trump admin says it is working to reinstate more than 24,000 fired federal workers
The Trump administration is moving to reinstate about 24,000 probationary workers it fired as part of its efforts to slash the size of the federal workforce, according to court documents filed Monday.NBC News - 3h -
Trump administration briefing: Judge reinstates some fired workers, more tariff threats on EU
Judge says it is a ‘lie’ that employees at federal agencies had performance issues; Trump mulls EU alcohol tariff – key US politics stories from Thursday at a glance. A federal judge in California ...The Guardian - 4d -
Judge orders reinstatement of education grants axed by Trump in DEI sweep
A judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate education grants it had nixed as part of its work to end DEI initiatives.CNBC - 1h -
Federal judge rules Trump must reinstate many fired federal employees
A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Trump administration must reinstate probationary government employees fired unlawfully at several agencies, lambasting the Justice Department at a hearing ...The Hill - 5d -
Trump Administration Must Rehire Thousands of Fired Workers, Judges Rule
A federal judge called the administration’s justification for the firings of workers with probationary status a “sham.” Another ruling barred the administration from carrying out future mass ...The New York Times - 4d -
White House vows to fight ruling that requires government reinstate fired probationary workers
The White House on Friday vowed to appeal the federal court rulings that required the Trump administration to reinstate probationary government employees who judges said were fired unlawfully at ...The Hill - 4d -
Judge appears likely to grant request to reinstate thousands of fired probationary workers
BALTIMORE — A federal judge in Maryland suggested Wednesday that he might direct that thousands of fired federal workers get their jobs back, at least temporarily, after hearing arguments that ...NBC News - 6d -
With mass rehirings ordered and a plea to the Supreme Court, Trump's court fights scale new heights
Judges this week ordered the government to reinstate thousands of workers, while the administration turned to the Supreme Court for help rolling back judicial powers.NBC News - 4d -
Rehired probationary workers can't be placed on administrative leave, judge says
A federal judge told the Trump administration late Monday that fired probationary workers must be returned to their old jobs, not just placed on administrative leave, as many departments have been ...The Hill - 6h -
Trump administration briefing: judge incredulous at deportations defense; Doge workers break into building
White House denies violating judge’s order with Venezuela flights; Elon Musk’s Doge workers break into non-government agency – key US politics stories from Monday at a glance. The Trump ...The Guardian - 18h -
Judge blocks 'unlawful' Trump order targeting Clinton 2016 law firm
A federal judge entered an emergency order barring the Trump administration from implementing parts of its executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie.ABC News - 5d -
Judge orders Trump administration to reveal details of deportation flights to El Salvador
The Trump administration has until noon Tuesday to share details with a federal judge about the deportation flights carrying undocumented Venezuelans with alleged gang ties over the weekend. CBS ...CBS News - 8h -
Fired CISA probationary employees to be reinstated after U.S. judge's order
Over 130 probationary cybersecurity agency workers were told in a mass-firing form letter last month they were "not fit" for employment.CBS News - 1d -
Judge rules against Musk and ‘Doge’, finding USAid shutdown ‘likely violated’ constitution – US politics live
Federal judge orders halt on any work to shut down USAid and tells Musk’s so-called Department for government efficiency to reinstate workers’ email access. Donald Trump has called for the ...The Guardian - 36m -
Interior, Energy must rehire fired workers, judge says
Click for more from The Hill. {beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Interior, Energy must rehire fired workers, judge says The Trump administration must reinstate ...The Hill - 4d -
Appeals court reinstates portions of Trump’s DEI orders
A federal appeals court Friday reinstated portions of President Trump’s executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs that were blocked by a lower court. The unanimous ...The Hill - 3d -
Judge blocks Trump administration plan to cut millions for teacher training
Eight states had requested a temporary restraining order, which judge granted saying ‘programs ... will be gutted’ . A federal judge in Boston on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration’s plan to ...The Guardian - 6d -
Second federal judge orders White House to rehire fired probationary workers
The order from U.S. District Judge James Bredar came in a lawsuit filed by 19 states and the District of Columbia against multiple federal agencies alleging the mass firings are illegal.CBS News - 4d -
Judge orders 6 federal agencies to rehire fired probationary workers
U.S. District Judge William Alsup extended relief to fired workers at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury.CBS News - 5d -
Appeals Court Allows Trump Administration’s DEI Crackdown to Proceed, but Judges Debate DEI Merits
Three judges on a Virginia appeals panel agreed to let the Trump administration orders move forward but were sharply divided on the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.The New York Times - 3d -
Breakdown of Alien Enemies Act and Trump administration's deportation flights against judge's order
The Trump administration has until noon Tuesday to share details with a federal judge about the deportation flights carrying undocumented Venezuelans. The White House carried out the flights even ...CBS News - 5h -
Judge lashes out at Trump admin over deportation flights
A federal judge lashed out at the Trump administration Monday for refusing to answer questions about flights deporting Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act after he ordered them to turn ...The Hill - 22h -
Judge temporarily blocks parts of Trump order targeting Perkins Coie
A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily froze parts of President Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie, which claims its past work for Democrats made it a subject of ...The Hill - 6d -
GOP lawmaker pushes to impeach judge over order to halt deportations
Republican Rep. Brandon Gill (Texas) said he would be pushing to impeach the federal judge who ordered the Trump administration to halt deportations of Venezuelan gang members over the weekend. ...The Hill - 1d -
Bondi on continued deportation flights despite judge's order: 'Absolutely'
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Trump administration would “absolutely” continue to remove undocumented Venezuelan immigrants on deportation flights despite a ruling from a federal judge ...The Hill - 7h -
Judge orders hearing over Trump deportations under Alien Enemies Act despite court ruling
A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for Monday afternoon on whether the Trump administration violated a court order against using a law passed in 1798 to deport hundreds of undocumented ...CBS News - 1d -
Former prosecutor: Trump admin distinction between judge's verbal, non-verbal orders 'completely silly’
Former federal prosecutor Shan Wu slammed the Trump administration's decision to violate a judge's order that blocked the removal of undocumented Venezuelan immigrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies ...The Hill - 6h -
Judge orders release of certain owed foreign aid payments
A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to release foreign aid payments owed under certain existing contracts but stopped short of staving off mass contract cancellations that ...The Hill - Mar. 11
More from The Hill
-
Democrats push back on plans to use military installations as migrant detention centers
Democrat lawmakers are pushing back against Trump administration plans to detain thousands of undocumented immigrants at U.S. military sites. In a letter signed by nine Democrats and sent to the ...The Hill - 29m -
Sadly, Trump is right on Ukraine
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky provoked wider war by violating peace deals with Russia and seeking NATO military aid and membership, while Joe Biden also contributed crucially to the ...The Hill - 33m -
Live updates: Musk's USAID actions ruled 'likely' unlawful; Roberts pushes back on Trump's call for judge's impeachment
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare rebuke of President Trump on Tuesday amid an escalating battle between the executive and judicial branches of government over the president's ...The Hill - 40m -
Indian prime minister joins Trump's Truth Social platform
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has joined President Trump’s Truth Social platform. “Delighted to be on Truth Social! Looking forward to interacting with all the passionate voices here and ...The Hill - 45m -
Watch live: NASA astronauts return to Earth after 9 months on International Space Station
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are expected to return to Earth Tuesday afternoon after more than nine months on the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew-9 mission launched ...The Hill - 48m
More in Politics
-
Democrats push back on plans to use military installations as migrant detention centers
Democrat lawmakers are pushing back against Trump administration plans to detain thousands of undocumented immigrants at U.S. military sites. In a letter signed by nine Democrats and sent to the ...The Hill - 29m -
Sadly, Trump is right on Ukraine
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky provoked wider war by violating peace deals with Russia and seeking NATO military aid and membership, while Joe Biden also contributed crucially to the ...The Hill - 33m -
Live updates: Musk's USAID actions ruled 'likely' unlawful; Roberts pushes back on Trump's call for judge's impeachment
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare rebuke of President Trump on Tuesday amid an escalating battle between the executive and judicial branches of government over the president's ...The Hill - 40m -
Indian prime minister joins Trump's Truth Social platform
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has joined President Trump’s Truth Social platform. “Delighted to be on Truth Social! Looking forward to interacting with all the passionate voices here and ...The Hill - 45m -
Watch live: NASA astronauts return to Earth after 9 months on International Space Station
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are expected to return to Earth Tuesday afternoon after more than nine months on the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew-9 mission launched ...The Hill - 48m