SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge has ordered that former federal employees, dismissed during the Trump administration, must be officially informed that their terminations were not due to poor performance.The directive, issued Friday by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, comes as part of an ongoing legal battle involving labor unions and advocacy organizations. These groups are challenging the mass dismissal of thousands of probationary federal employees that occurred in early 2020 under the leadership of former President Donald Trump.In a ruling earlier this year, Judge Alsup found that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which initiated the firings, exceeded its authority by directing other agencies to terminate staff. He ordered six agencies to rehire the affected workers. However, the Supreme Court recently paused that reinstatement order, without addressing the legality of the terminations themselves.A central issue in the case is the language used in the dismissal letters. Many workers were told they were let go due to unsatisfactory performance — a claim the judge now calls deeply damaging and misleading. Most of those affected were young professionals just starting their careers in public service.“Firing these individuals under the guise of performance issues leaves a mark that can follow them throughout their professional lives,” Alsup wrote. He emphasized that labeling them as poor performers could seriously hinder future job prospects.To address this, the court is requiring that each affected employee receive written clarification that their removal was part of a broader, unauthorized government-wide action — not due to individual failings.Meanwhile, a separate case in Maryland reached a similar conclusion. Judge James Bredar found that the Trump administration failed to comply with federal requirements for large-scale layoffs, including giving the required 60-day advance notice. However, an appellate court recently overturned his order to reinstate the workers.Despite the legal setbacks, the latest ruling from Alsup marks a significant push to clear the professional names of thousands of wrongfully characterized former federal employees.
Federal Judge Demands Trump-Era Officials Clear Fired Workers’ Records
