Judge Orders Trump Administration To Bring Back Thousands Of Workers Affected By DOGE Cuts

Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency raced to terminate federal employees’ jobs in the opening weeks of President Donald Trump‘s administration. On Thursday, a federal judge ordered the reinstatement of thousands of workers impacted by the cuts.

What Happened: Judge William Alsup of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against Trump and Musk on Thursday, according to Reuters.

In the hearing, Alsup, a Clinton appointee, said the U.S. Office of Personnel Management had improperly ordered federal agencies to fire workers without the official power to do so. In particular, Alsup’s ruling pertains to the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of Interior and the Treasury Department.

The decision specifically concerns recently-hired federal employees who were then fired amid DOGE’s cuts. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit argued that the Office of Personnel Management did not have the power to fire workers, only individual departments do.

Why it Matters: The ruling is a blow to the Trump Administration’s plan to purge federal agencies. Trump officials have previously condemned federal judges halting federal actions, according to NPR.

“The real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch, where District Court judges and liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump’s basic executive authority,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in February.

Musk’s DOGE has claimed to cut $115 billion in federal spending since Trump’s inauguration, though New York Times reporting unveiled several mistakes and exaggerations in DOGE’s already-opaque tally.

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