A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration's mass firings of probationary federal workers were illegal. Judge William Alsup found the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) overstepped its authority by directing the terminations, usurping powers reserved for individual agencies. While the judge couldn't reinstate the 25,000+ fired workers due to time constraints, he ordered agencies to correct personnel files and inform affected individuals that the OPM's reasoning for their dismissal was false. The ruling follows a previous order for reinstatement that was overturned by the Supreme Court on a technicality.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.