National Park Workers Who Said They Were Illegally Fired Win Lawsuit Against Trump Admin

A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled against the Trump administration in a lawsuit brought by thousands of probationary federal workers, including an Alaska couple working for the National Park Service.

The lawsuit, filed by unions and civic organizations, accused the administration of firing tens of thousands of federal employees under false pretenses, claiming they were underperforming. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had directed agencies to carry out the firings, but U.S. District Judge William Alsup determined that these mass terminations were not based on actual performance reviews and exceeded the government's authority.

Eileen and James Kramer, who were terminated from their jobs at Lake Clark National Park in Alaska after a decade, told NPR they were blindsided by the decision. "We've given so much to this place...and that's being taken away dishonestly," Eileen said. " I got a regional award specifically in efficiency last year, so it's a little bit ironic to me that I'm being terminated as part of this government efficiency initiative."

"It's more than just losing our job," James said, noting that they may have to move out of their home, which is owned by the Park Service. "We're losing our life."

The Trump administration has argued that the mass layoff of probationary employees is an efficient way to reduce the federal workforce, because "agencies are not required to hire every probationary employee with 'satisfactory' performance."

Judge Alsup disagreed that the firings were based on performance. "It is unlikely, if not impossible, that the agencies themselves had the time to conduct actual performance reviews of the thousands terminated in such a short span of time," Alsup said in his ruling.

The decision leaves open the possibility that thousands of fired workers could be reinstated, though the exact impact remains uncertain.

"This was an attempt to circumvent protections for federal workers," Michelle Bercovici, a lawyer representing the workers, said, adding that agencies must follow a proper reduction-in-force process if they intend to carry out mass layoffs. "It's a fair, clearly laid-out process."

The court decision has left the terminated employees with "somewhat lighter hearts," as they wait to hear if their jobs will be reinstated.