‘Sham’: Judge chastises Trump administration, orders thousands of federal employees to get jobs back

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered that federal agencies rehire probationary employees who were terminated in mass, citing that it was “unlawful.”
In a blistering ruling on Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to “immediately” offer thousands of recently fired federal employees their jobs back.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered that federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture, rehire probationary employees who were terminated in mass, citing that it was “unlawful,” reports Politico.
The lawsuit brought by federal employee unions came after the Trump administration implemented the mass firings as part of President Trump’s aim to significantly shrink the federal bureaucracy and eliminate so-called government waste.
However, Judge Alsup, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, told Justice Department attorneys that the firings of probationary federal employees were not justified. Though the DOJ argued in court that the termination was a result of bad performance, Alsup called their bluff, describing the justification as a “gimmick.”
“It is sad, 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,” said the San Francisco judge.
As Politico pointed out, even if an appeals court upholds Judge Alsup’s ruling, it doesn’t mean that all fired employees will get their jobs back. While Alsup acknowledged that the administration has the authority to lay off employees, he noted that by moving in haste, the federal government sidestepped federal laws that lay out proper procedures for “reductions in force.” He told Trump’s lawyers, “It can be done if it’s done in accordance with the law.”
Probationary federal workers do not have the same protections as civil service workers. However, despite its name, probationary status is very common in the federal workforce, Politico reports. Many newly hired employees begin as probationary employees and are often under probationary status even after being promoted.
The mass firing of federal employees has incensed federal employee unions, leading to workers protesting alongside Democratic lawmakers outside federal agency buildings. On Thursday, during a rally on Capitol Hill, Black women leaders and activists decried the mass firings.
U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., scolded the Trump administration and White House advisor Elon Musk for “attacking” federal workers, noting that a third of the federal workforce are veterans. “Think about how despicable it is that a billionaire…who’s been given the keys to our government has the audacity to come in and cut try to cut benefits … [and workers.”
Alsobrooks recalled her grandmother, who was a federal worker and taught herself how to type, which was a requirement for employment.
“She was so determined to get into the federal government that she put a white piece of paper on the refrigerator in her kitchen, put a keyboard on it and taught herself to type so she could pass that exam,” she recalled. “So when we talk about federal workers, who they are now describing as listless and lazy and being incompetent, they’re talking about people like my grandmother.”
She added, “They serve. They don’t care who the president is, whether the president is Democrat or Republican, because they’re not there for the president. They’re there for the American people.”
More About:Politics
Weekly New Episodes
Stream Now

source