A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday in favor of the Trump administration, allowing it to proceed with the termination of thousands of probationary federal employees. The decision halts a lower court’s order that had required the workers be reinstated, marking a significant legal victory for Trump’s push to reduce the federal workforce.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, stated that the dismissals should be handled through a separate employment process, not federal court.
The two judges backing the administration were Republican appointees, while the dissenting judge was appointed by a Democrat.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by nearly two dozen states, which argued that the mass firings—impacting at least 24,000 workers since Trump took office—would impose severe financial and logistical burdens on state services. Although the case is still ongoing, the appeals court’s order overrides a previous decision by U.S. District Judge James Bredar in Baltimore, who had found the terminations violated federal law.
The Supreme Court also sided with Trump a day earlier in a separate but related case, blocking a reinstatement order in California due to lack of legal standing by nonprofit groups involved.
Some 15,000 workers had already been reinstated during the litigation process, according to court filings.
Probationary employees, often new hires without full civil service protections, have been a primary target in Trump’s downsizing efforts.
States involved in the Baltimore lawsuit include New York, California, Illinois, and 16 others, along with Washington, D.C.
