A U.S. district judge has ordered the Trump administration to issue written statements to thousands of federal workers fired during a mass termination, clarifying that they were not dismissed for poor performance.
Judge William Alsup of San Francisco issued the order on Friday as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by labor unions and nonprofits.
The suit challenges the February 2024 dismissal of probationary federal employees under the administration of former President Donald Trump.
In a previous ruling, Alsup found that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had overstepped its authority by directing the dismissals across multiple federal agencies.
The judge argued that OPM can only order terminations within its own agency, not others.
In March, Alsup ordered the reinstatement of the workers, but that directive was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on the legality of the firings.
Alsup was particularly critical of the use of standardised dismissal notices that falsely cited poor performance.
“Termination under the false pretense of performance is an injury that will persist for the working life of each civil servant,” he wrote.
Under Friday’s order, all affected workers must receive written clarification by May 8 stating they were not dismissed for performance-related reasons.
If a termination was based on individual performance, agencies must submit a sealed, sworn declaration explaining the decision.
The Trump administration has claimed the firings were part of a plan to streamline the federal workforce, redefining performance in terms of job necessity.
However, Alsup noted that it would have been impossible for agencies to properly assess each employee in such a short time.
A similar case in Maryland found the administration failed to follow proper procedures for mass layoffs, including the legally required 60-day notice, though that ruling was later overturned on appeal.
