A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to retract memos that called for mass layoffs of probationary employees in other federal agencies. This decision comes from a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s attempts to reduce the federal workforce.
Judge William Alsup, based in San Francisco, stated that OPM does not have the authority to direct other agencies to fire their employees, except for its own staff. He emphasized that any efforts by OPM to enforce these layoff memos are invalid until the court says otherwise. OPM must clarify to other agencies that it lacks the legal power to issue such orders.
The ruling stems from a recent lawsuit filed by five labor unions and five nonprofit organizations. They argued that OPM’s push to terminate probationary employees—generally those in their first year on the job—was based on inaccurate claims of poor performance. The unions claim OPM had no legal basis for these firings.
In response, government attorneys argued that OPM was only advising agencies to evaluate performance standards, not mandating layoffs. They pointed out that probationary employees do not have guaranteed job security and that agencies should prioritize keeping high-performing workers.
As part of this case, Judge Alsup could call the Acting Director of OPM, Charles Ezell, to testify about communications related to these terminations. Employees associated with the Department of Justice could also be required to come to court.
Judge Alsup expressed hope that the government would act to inform agencies of his ruling so that probationary employees would not lose their jobs due to OPM’s invalid directives.
This ruling is seen as a victory for workers who feel they were unfairly targeted. Everett Kelley, President of the American Federation of Government Employees, highlighted the importance of the decision, noting that it protects federal employees who aim to make positive contributions in their roles.
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