Court Orders Reinstatement of Fired Federal Workers After Lawsuit from Attorney General James
A federal court has ordered the reinstatement of thousands of probationary federal employees who were recently dismissed, following a lawsuit led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of 19 other attorneys general. The ruling, issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, requires the federal government to rehire affected employees by March 17 and prohibits further mass terminations that do not comply with legal notice requirements.
The lawsuit, filed on March 6, argued that the federal government violated federal law by dismissing workers without providing the required written notice to states and employees. The court granted a temporary restraining order (TRO), siding with the attorneys general in their claim that the firings were conducted unlawfully.
Attorney General James praised the ruling, emphasizing the importance of federal workers in maintaining essential services. “Federal workers dedicate their careers to serving our country. They go to work every day to keep our communities safe, provide health care to those in need, and more,” James said in a statement. She characterized the firings as disruptive and welcomed the court’s decision to restore the affected jobs.
This ruling is part of a series of legal actions taken by Attorney General James regarding federal workforce policies. On March 13, she led a coalition of 20 attorneys general in a lawsuit against the federal government over proposed changes to the Department of Education that would cut approximately half of its workforce. Earlier, in February, she joined legal efforts opposing what attorneys general described as misleading federal employee buyout offers.
The reinstatement order is expected to have significant implications for thousands of workers who were affected by the dismissals. The federal government has not yet commented on the ruling or indicated whether it will appeal.