Federal Judge Orders Reinstatement of Fired Probationary Employees in US

A U.S. federal judge in California has ordered six federal agencies to reinstate thousands of probationary employees who were terminated as part of mass firings initiated by the Trump administration. The ruling, issued by District Judge William Alsup, affects probationary employees at the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Treasury. Judge Alsup stated that while the government can reduce staff, it must be done lawfully and with justification, finding the orders from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) unjustified. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, condemned the ruling as an encroachment on executive power and vowed to fight it.