White House Condemns Judge's Order to Reinstate Fired Federal Employees

The White House has criticized a federal judge's ruling that orders the reinstatement of federal employees terminated last month. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Judge William Alsup's decision "absurd and unconstitutional," asserting that it infringes upon the President's executive authority to hire and fire. Judge Alsup, based in San Francisco, mandated that the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Treasury must reinstate probationary employees who were terminated around February 13. The judge determined that the acting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Charles Ezell violated federal laws regarding "Reduction in Force" procedures when ordering the firings. The White House has announced its intention to appeal the ruling.