A federal judge has ordered the government to rehire thousands of probationary workers fired after President Trump took office, reports the New York Times. Judge William J. Alsup of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said the mass firings were a "sham" and ordered the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, and Interior to reinstate any workers affected. Alsup accused the government, through the Office of Personnel Management, of firing the workers on the false excuse of poor performance as part of its new cost-cutting initiative.
"It is a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that's a lie," he said. "It was a sham in order to try to avoid statutory requirements." The ruling is the biggest challenge yet to Trump's efforts to shrink the size of the government, per the Washington Post. Alsup appeared to be particularly angry that new OPM chief Charles Ezell did not testify in court as the judge had ordered.
"You will not bring the people here to be cross-examined," the judge told a Justice Department lawyer on Thursday. "You're afraid to do so, because … it would reveal the truth. This is the US District Court. … I've been practicing or serving in this court for over 50 years, and I know how we get to the truth." Alsup's order stems from a lawsuit brought by a coalition labor unions, per the AP. The exact number of employees affected was not immediately clear. Nor was it clear whether the Trump administration planned to comply. (More President Trump stories.)
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