A federal judge has issued an indefinite block against the Trump administration’s attempt to terminate thousands of probationary federal workers across 19 states and Washington, D.C. The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore on April 1, modifies a previous nationwide order from March.
The decision affects federal employees who either reside or work in predominantly Democratic-led states that joined the legal challenge against the mass terminations. Judge Bredar determined that while the federal government maintains the authority to conduct mass dismissals through reduction in force (RIF) procedures, they must adhere to established laws and regulations when doing so.
The ruling encompasses workers from 20 federal agencies, including major departments such as Defense, Agriculture, Commerce, and Homeland Security. The judge found that the Trump administration likely violated laws governing mass terminations of government employees, causing “continuing and irreparable harm” to the plaintiff states.
This legal action stems from a March 6 lawsuit filed by a coalition of states, spearheaded by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown. The plaintiffs argued that the agencies failed to follow proper RIF procedures, specifically citing the requirement to provide 60 days’ advance notice to both workers and state governments.
The protected jurisdictions include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.
Judge Bredar’s latest ruling specifically addresses the scope of protection, noting that while a broader injunction might be warranted if individual employees had brought the case, the current lawsuit only represents states’ interests. The judge emphasized that each state maintains the right to seek relief independently, and the court should not impose decisions affecting non-participating states.
The administration has already appealed Bredar’s earlier March 13 ruling, which had ordered the reinstatement of at least 11,000 terminated workers by March 17. The government maintains that the firings were lawful and contests the judge’s authority to mandate worker reinstatement. However, a U.S. appeals court panel has declined to stay the judge’s ruling.
The affected agencies now include the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. Additionally, the order covers the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, General Services Administration, Small Business Administration, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Office of Personnel Management.
The judge clarified that while the government retains the right to terminate probationary employees through RIF procedures, they must follow proper protocols. His ruling found that recent agency actions failed to comply with mandatory RIF procedures based on the evidence presented to the court.
This decision represents a significant setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce through probationary employee terminations. The geographical limitations of the ruling, however, mean that federal workers in states not party to the lawsuit remain unprotected by this judicial action.