Appeals court rejects states' challenge to mass firings of probationary workers

Source: CBS News

September 8, 2025 / 2:15 PM EDT


Washington — A federal appeals court on Monday rejected a lawsuit filed by a group of states that challenged the mass firings of thousands of federal probationary workers. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit divided 2-1 in finding that the 19 states and the District of Columbia did not have legal standing to sue over the large-scale terminations. The appeals court sent the case back to the federal district court with directions to dismiss it.

"We acknowledge that the abrupt and indiscriminate dismissal of the probationary employees here exacted all-too-human costs upon those affected," Judge Harvie Wilkinson wrote for the two-judge majority. "But this real impact on the employees, who are not parties here, cannot govern our review."

Wilkinson wrote that while federal probationary workers "suffered the brunt of the harm" as a result of their firings, "they are nowhere to be found in this case." Joining Wilkinson in the majority was Judge Allison Jones Rushing. Judge DeAndrea Gist Benjamin dissented.

Probationary workers are those who generally have been in their jobs with the federal government for one or two years, depending on the nature of their jobs. Shortly after President Trump returned to the White House for a second term, his administration moved to lay off thousands of probationary workers as part of its goal of shrinking the size of the federal government.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/probationary-workers-appeals-court-states-challenge/