February 28, 2025: A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s directive ordering mass firings of recently hired federal employees, according to a Reuters report.

San Francisco District Judge William Alsup ruled that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) lacks the authority to mandate federal agencies to terminate any workers, including probationary employees with less than one year of experience.

The court’s decision comes in response to an order issued by President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is co-chairing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The administration had announced the layoffs as a cost-cutting measure.

Judge Alsup directed OPM to revoke a January 20 memo and a February 14 email that had instructed federal agencies to identify and dismiss probationary employees who were not considered "mission critical." He warned that the ongoing mass terminations could have serious consequences, including disruptions to national parks, scientific research, and veterans' services.

"Probationary employees are the lifeblood of our government. They come in at a low level and work their way up. That's how we renew ourselves," Alsup stated in his ruling.

Despite the ruling, the Department of Defense plans to proceed with the termination of 5,400 probationary employees on Friday, arguing that it falls outside the lawsuit filed by employee unions. However, the judge ordered the government to notify the department that the email and memo in question had been invalidated.

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, one of the unions challenging the mass firings, criticized the administration’s approach. "These are rank-and-file workers who joined the federal government to make a difference in their communities, only to be suddenly terminated due to this administration’s disdain for federal employees and desire to privatize their work," Kelley said.

The U.S. Justice Department, representing the Trump administration, defended the directive in court, claiming that the memo and email merely asked agencies to review their probationary employees and assess potential terminations, rather than issuing a direct firing order.

Meanwhile, the White House issued another memo on Wednesday, instructing federal agencies to submit plans by March 13 for a "significant reduction" in staffing. The legal battle over federal workforce cuts is expected to continue in the coming weeks.