Attorney General Ellison files lawsuit to stop mass firings of federal probationary employees

Co-leads coalition of 20 attorneys general in alleging Trump administration broke federal laws and rules in summary mass firings at federal agencies

March 7, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Yesterday evening, Minnesota Attorney General Ellison co-led a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit in federal court in Maryland against numerous federal agencies for conducting illegal mass layoffs of federal probationary employees. These mass firings will cause irreparable burdens and expenses to the states, both to support recently unemployed workers, and to review and adjudicate claims of unemployment assistance. Moreover, the unlawful layoffs will harm state finances and undermine vital state-federal partnerships. 

“Whether Donald Trump likes it or not, there are laws governing large-scale reductions in the federal government’s workforce that his administration must abide by,” said Attorney General Ellison. “Trump’s unlawful mass firings have been needlessly cruel, chaotic, and harmful to many people, including the state of Minnesota, so I am taking the Trump Administration to court.”

“I do not wake up every day looking for reasons to sue Donald Trump, yet once again, his administration’s willful violations of the law have forced me to take action,” added Ellison.

In an effort to summarily and dramatically reduce the size of the federal government, the Trump administration initiated mass terminations of federal employees, ordering numerous federal agencies to fire thousands of probationary employees. These personnel are newly hired or have recently been promoted or changed offices, and they are generally subject to a probationary period of one or two years.

While federal agencies claimed, in the form of termination letters, that these probationary employees were fired for unsatisfactory performance or conduct, the firings were clearly part of the administration’s attempt to summarily restructure and downsize the entire federal government. In the lawsuit filed today, the coalition of attorneys general asserts that the administration was therefore required to follow federal laws and regulations that govern large-scale federal “Reductions in Force” (RIF). These critical protections ensure that personnel such as military veterans are given preference in retaining their jobs. 

When a RIF results in a layoff of 50 or more employees, the agency must generally give at least 60 days’ advance notice to states governments, so they can provide vital “rapid response” information, resources, and services to affected workers. The federal agencies named in the lawsuit failed to provide any advance notice to Minnesota, requiring the state to scramble to respond to the sudden mass layoffs of its residents.

With this lawsuit, Minnesota is asking the court to:   

Joining Attorney General Ellison in filing the lawsuit are Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, who co-led the coalition with Attorney General Ellison, and the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.