A federal judge intervened on Tuesday, halting former President Donald Trump's attempts to remove Cathy Harris from her position and barring the dismissal of nearly 6,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) employees without just cause. The ruling, handed down by Cathy Harris, chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board, mandates the temporary reinstatement of these employees for 45 days, as the board investigates possible violations of federal laws.
Since Trump assumed office in January, tens of thousands of government workers have been laid off. These layoffs are reportedly influenced by directives from Elon Musk’s unofficial "department of government efficiency," widely known as Doge. Harris stated that she found reasonable grounds to believe the agency's terminations violated federal laws and procedures.
"The 45-day stay will minimize the adverse consequences of the apparent prohibited personnel practice," Harris emphasized.
The merit systems board's decision to reinstate the USDA employees follows a similar move last week that temporarily prevented mass firings at the U.S. Department of Defense and other agencies. These actions predominantly affect probationary employees, who typically have less than a year of experience. There are an estimated 200,000 such workers across federal agencies.
Harris's order specifies that during the 45-day period, the recently fired workers will return to their previous positions. This decision not only temporarily blocks the Trump administration's plans but also potentially sets a precedent for other agencies, as noted by Politico.
J Ward Morrow, assistant general counsel at the American Federation of Government Employees, praised the order as "great news" and called for swift similar actions across all impacted agencies.
"With all impacted agencies with similarly situated employees as fast as possible," Morrow urged.
The ruling also comes amid Trump's ongoing legal efforts to dismiss Harris from her position on the merit systems board, which is grappling with its own suspension issues. The board's decision highlights the tension within federal employment practices under Trump's administration.