A Virginia federal appeals court has cleared the way for President Donald Trump to terminate thousands of probationary federal workers after lifting a court order blocking the moves.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision that the Trump administration was likely to succeed in a case brought in Maryland by 19 states and Washington, D.C., by suggesting that the firings must be appealed through a separate process and not in the federal court system.
The states and the district were represented by their attorneys general, who alleged that federal agencies falsely told the workers that they were being fired based on their performance and that the government failed to give a 60-day notice so unemployment claims could be handled.
A recent Supreme Court ruling that paused a California judge’s block on the firing of probationary employees at six U.S. agencies nationwide was cited by the majority in its ruling.
In a dissenting opinion, Biden-appointed Circuit Judge DeAndrea Benjamin said the district and the states “clearly have standing to challenge the process by which the Government has engaged in mass firings.”
The plaintiffs said at least 24,000 probationary employees have been terminated since Trump took office in January.
TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The federal government is terminating thousands of probationary employees as part of its Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-saving efforts. Elon Musk has been the de facto leader of this effort.
Earlier this year, Musk sent out an email to all federal employees requiring them to list their job responsibilities. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X, which he owns. The post stated: “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”