On Wednesday, April 9, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that a lower-court judge likely lacked jurisdiction to order probationary federal employees be reinstated after the Trump administration laid off thousands of federal workers.
In February, the administration laid off over 24,000 probationary federal workers across 19 states and Washington, D.C after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management directed federal agencies to identify non-essential probationary workers. Most probationary employees have less than a year of service in their roles, although some probationary employees are in their second year of service. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown’s office filed a complaint, which was joined by the attorneys general of the states, and the District of Columbia, where employees were laid off. The lawsuit alleges that the mass layoffs violate federal law since states were not provided advance notice of the layoffs. The lawsuit also claims that these mass layoffs will cause a spike in unemployment claims and social services.
On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, U.S. District Judge James Bredar granted a preliminary injunction to reinstate the fired employees, ordering the government to “refrain from further alleged reductions in force except in compliance with the notice requirements of [federal law].” The Trump administration appealed the ruling to the Fourth Circuit, arguing “that the States lack Article III standing to challenge the terminations and that the district court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction because the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. . . provides the exclusive means for review of personnel actions taken against federal employees.” The Fourth Circuit found in favor for the administration, ruling that “the Government is likely to succeed in showing the district court lacked jurisdiction over Plaintiffs’ claims, and the Government is unlikely to recover the funds disbursed to reinstated probationary employees.”
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a separate lawsuit on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, concerning 17,000 fired probationary workers. That decision overturns U.S. District Judge William Alsup’s injunction requiring the U.S. Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Treasury to reinstate the fired employees.
Additional Reading
Trump Freed to Fire Federal Workers as Court Pauses Hold (1). Bloomberg Law (April 9, 2025)
US judge blocks Trump administration from firing federal employees on probation, Reuters (April 2, 2025)
State of Maryland v. USDA (Case No. 25-1248)
Order in State of Maryland v. USDA
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