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A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reopen tens of thousands of government employees dismissed in recent weeks, in one of the biggest legal obstacles to the aggressive reduction machine of Elon Musk.
The order, made by the District Judge in San Francisco William Alsup, demanded the immediate return of probation workers to all agencies, including the US Treasury and Protection and Energy Departments, as representatives of the government argued that they were unlawfully fired.
Alsup revealed that the Personnel Management Office, a human resource government agency that has been one of the main vehicles used by the so -called Department of Music Efficiency (Doge), had no legal authority to order such vacations.
At a hearing on Thursday, Alsup also criticized the US government for failing to send the director of OPM or any other official to answer questions about recent vacations, despite a clear request from the court, and expressed doubts about the Trump administration claim that they were fired.
“The law is clear that OPM has no authority to order federal agencies to fire their employees,” said Danielle Leonard, a lawyer at Altshuler Berzon, representing the plaintiffs. “Today’s decision is an important first step to keep this administration responsible.”
Alsup’s order is the latest in a series of blow to the Cost Crusade of Doge cost. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court supported an order forcing the government to pay $ 2 billion foreign aid contracts that the Trump administration had tried to cancel, while judges in the lower courts prevented Music’s emissaries from entering some sensitive information.
The US government has also moved to clarify a directive issued shortly after Trump’s inauguration over the probation staff, stressing that it is up to individual agencies to make staff decisions. Trump himself last week asked Musk to use a “scalpel” than a “hat” when it came to identifying savings, after the extent and width of cuts and holidays promoted protest by Republican lawmakers.
In a statement regarding Alsup’s order, White House secretary Caroline Leavitt accused the judge of “trying to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and shooting from the executive branch”.
She added: “If a Federal Court of the District Court wanted executive jurisdiction, they may try to run for president themselves. The Trump administration will immediately fight against this absurd and unconstitutional order.”
