A federal judge has ordered Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reinstate thousands of federal employees who were fired for alleged poor performance. Judge William Alsup ruled that at least 30,000 workers across multiple government agencies—including the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Energy—were unlawfully terminated under misleading pretenses.
Alsup criticized the firings, calling them a “sad day for government” and stating that many of those affected had received positive performance reviews before being let go. The mass layoffs were part of DOGE’s broader mission to streamline the federal government by reducing staff and cutting costs. However, the court found that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had no legal authority to approve such widespread terminations.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) argued that the OPM’s actions violated federal employment protections. The union welcomed the ruling, stating that agencies should “immediately rescind these unlawful terminations” and reinstate the affected employees. The case follows another recent court decision requiring DOGE to disclose its internal structure and leadership, further increasing scrutiny on the department.
With the Biden-appointed judge ruling against Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal workforce, the administration now faces pressure to comply. While Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who co-lead DOGE, have pledged to complete their work by July 2026, legal battles may slow their plans to downsize government agencies.
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