A federal judge ruled on Thursday that the Trump Administration can proceed with mass firings of government workers after five federal employee unions filed a lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper determined that the unions must bring their claims under federal employment law rather than in district court.
While the judge acknowledged that Trump’s aggressive first month has “caused disruption and even chaos in widespread quarters of American society,” Cooper ultimately concluded that he likely lacks the authority to rule on the legality of the mass firings of government workers. Cooper’s temporary ruling will allow the administration to proceed with its extensive staffing overhauls, much of which has been influenced by recommendations from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) committee.
Instead, the unions are likely required to file complaints with the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which handles disputes between federal agencies and the unions representing their workers, according to a report from Reuters. “Federal district judges are duty-bound to decide legal issues based on even-handed application of law and precedent — no matter the identity of the litigants or, regrettably at times, the consequences of their rulings for average people,” the judge wrote.
Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, called the decision a temporary setback and affirmed that the lawsuit will continue through other means. “There is no doubt that the administration’s actions are an illegal end-run on Congress, which has the sole power to create and oversee federal agencies and their important missions,” she said in a statement.
The latest ruling marks another legal setback for unions attempting to block the administration’s mass firings and buyout programs for federal workers who voluntarily resign. Affected agencies include the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Department of Veterans Affairs.
Two other federal judges have also ruled that unions lack the legal standing to block the administration’s mass firings, citing their failure to show how they were directly harmed by the actions. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan — who oversaw former special counsel Jack Smith’s controversial criminal case against the president — declined to block Musk’s team from offering recommendations on firings and personnel changes.
