Attorney General Ellison wins temporary block on mass firings of federal probationary employees and gets fired employees their jobs back
Federal judge orders 18 federal agencies to give employees their jobs back by Monday
March 14, 2025 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Ellison issued the following statement after a federal judge in the United States District Court for Maryland issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) last night for 18 federal agencies, ordering them to stop the illegal mass layoffs of federal probationary employees and to reinstate fired employees by 1:00pm on Monday, March 17, 2025:
“When Donald Trump fired thousands of federal probationary employees without giving the 60-day notice required by law, he jeopardized their financial security and risked overwhelming states’ ability to help people out of work. Thanks to our lawsuit, the Trump Administration has been ordered to stop their cruel, reckless, and unlawful layoffs and restore the jobs of these hard-working civil servants. Federal workers contribute immensely to states across the nation, and they deserve far better than the treatment they have received from the Trump Administration.
“I am committed to upholding the rule of law, defending the Constitution, and protecting the people of Minnesota. If this administration continues to violate the law, then I will continue to meet them in court.”
The TRO order comes seven days after Attorney General Ellison co-lead a coalition of 20 attorneys general on March 6, 2025, in suing numerous federal agencies for causing irreparable injuries to Minnesota and the other plaintiff states. The lawsuit sought immediate relief. The TRO stops the unlawful mass firings, orders the agencies to give those employees their jobs back, and applies to the following 18 federal agencies:
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Education
- Department of Energy
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Interior
- Department of Labor
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Treasury
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
- General Services Administration
- Small Business Administration
- United States Agency for International Development
To learn more about the original lawsuit, please read here.
Attorney General Ellison was joined by the attorneys general of Maryland, the District of Columbia, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
