Judges Order Trump Admin to Reinstate Thousands of Fired Employees

The total number of workers who are being reinstated is not clear but is at least 9,100, based on public statements from three of the agencies.

Recently laid off federal workers walk through the Dirksen Senate Office Building after meeting with staff members for Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in Washington on Feb. 25, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Two federal judges ordered the Trump administration on March 13 to reinstate thousands of probationary workers it terminated across dozens of federal departments and agencies.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled during a hearing in a federal courtroom in San Francisco that the administration must bring the workers back, because the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) does not have the power to order firings, and that there is evidence that the office improperly directed the termination of newer employees at the agencies.