US High-Stakes Battle: Trump Administration Challenges Rehiring Order Of Fired Federal Workers

New Delhi: The Trump administration has requested that the U.S. Supreme Court halt a lower court's order mandating the rehiring of thousands of federal employees who were dismissed as part of a large-scale effort to reduce the size of the federal workforce.

In an emergency appeal filed on Monday, the administration argued that U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco overstepped his authority by requiring the executive branch to rehire approximately 16,000 probationary workers. 

The administration also called on the conservative-majority court to limit the influence of federal judges who have repeatedly challenged President Donald Trump ’s agenda.

Judge Alsup's ruling found that the mass firings, which affected employees across agencies like the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior, and the Treasury, violated federal law. His order required the immediate reinstatement of the affected workers. 

The restraining order came in response to a lawsuit from a coalition of labor unions and organizations, arguing that the administration had circumvented federal laws governing workforce reductions. 

Alsup expressed concern that the administration had attempted to sidestep regulations by targeting probationary employees, who generally lack the same legal protections as permanent federal workers.

This case is just one of several lawsuits challenging the mass firings. Notably, a second judge issued a similar order on the same day, calling for the rehiring of the probationary workers.