A damper for Trump

US authorities: Judge stops mass dismissal

(Bild: AP)

A US federal judge is preventing the US government under President Donald Trump from carrying out the planned mass layoffs in government agencies. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco said during a hearing that the US Office of Personnel Management is not authorized to order federal agencies to fire employees, including probationary employees who generally have less than one year of experience.

As reported by the Washington Post, the federal judge ordered the Office of Personnel Management to withdraw guidelines sent to several federal agencies that led to the firing of thousands of employees.

Hiring and firing within agencies' authority
"Congress has delegated the power to hire and fire employees to the agencies themselves," the judge justified his order before the federal court in San Francisco. He referred to the Pentagon, among others. "The Department of Defense, for example, has the legal authority to hire and fire employees," Alsup said.

(Bild: AP)

In a filing obtained by The Washington Post, unions and advocacy groups had argued that the federal agency "charged with enforcing this nation's labor laws" had committed "one of the most massive employment frauds in this country's history." The Office of Personnel Management has "no constitutional, statutory or regulatory authority" to direct other federal agencies.

Since taking office in January, Trump has been rapidly restructuring and downsizing federal agencies. His advisor, the tech billionaire Elon Musk, is playing a leading role in this with his government department for government efficiency (Doge). Tens of thousands of people are affected by the redundancies at the federal authorities.

Around 40 lawsuits already filed
Around 40 lawsuits have already been filed against the redundancies and the reorganization of the federal authorities as well as other projects of the Trump administration. Among other things, the plaintiffs are challenging what they see as the unlawful order that federal agencies must dismiss all employees on probation.

However, Trump is apparently banking on being able to win the legal disputes surrounding his government agenda before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is dominated by conservatives. Three of the nine judges there were nominated by Trump during his first term in office (2017 to 2021).