Appeals court backs Trump firing thousands of probationary federal workers

A federal appeals court has ruled in favour of the Trump administration on Wednesday, allowing it to proceed with the dismissal of thousands of probationary federal employees. This overturns a previous court order in Baltimore that had required reinstatement.

The court ruled that the employees’ terminations should be challenged through the federal employment process rather than through the courts.

The decision is part of a broader legal battle involving multiple states and ongoing lawsuits over the legality of mass terminations under Trump’s federal workforce reforms.

The panel of three judges was divided. Two Republican-appointed judges backed the administration, while the third, appointed by a Democrat, dissented.


The lawsuit, filed by nearly two dozen states, argued that the sudden job losses placed a heavy financial and administrative burden on them, as they would be forced to support thousands of newly unemployed workers.

Since Trump took office, around 24,000 probationary employees have reportedly been dismissed. Though some 15,000 of those employees had already been reinstated or placed on paid leave during the legal proceedings, the ruling now allows the administration to continue with the dismissals.

The Supreme Court also sided with the Trump administration on Tuesday in a separate but related case. It blocked a decision by judge William Alsup in San Francisco that had supported reinstatement, stating that the nonprofit organisations involved lacked legal standing. That case still continues, as other plaintiffs, including the state of Washington and several labour groups, seek further review.