FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Federal Judge Orders 18 Federal Agencies to Give Employees Their
Jobs Back by Monday
BALTIMORE, MD (March 14, 2025) – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the
following statement after a federal judge in the United States District Court for Maryland issued
a temporary restraining order (TRO) for 18 federal agencies, ordering them to stop the illegal
mass layoffs of federal probationary employees and to reinstate fired workers by 1:00pm on
Monday, March 17, 2025.
President Trump blindsided Maryland when he fired thousands of federal probationary
employees without giving us the 60-day notice required by law. He jeopardized these employees'
financial security, threatened Maryland’s economy, and risked overwhelming our State’s ability
to help those who were out of work.
This ruling not only requires the Trump Administration to stop these indiscriminate and unlawful
layoffs but also orders it to undo the harm inflicted on Maryland by restoring the jobs of
hardworking federal employees.
These mass firings reflect a disregard for both the law and the essential role of the civil service
in maintaining government stability. Our Office is committed to upholding the rule of law and
will take every necessary legal step to ensure compliance with this court order.
The TRO order comes seven days after Attorney General Brown led a coalition of 20 attorneys
general on March 6, 2025, in suing numerous federal agencies for causing irreparable injuries to
Maryland 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 Transportation
|
Department of Commerce
| Department of Treasury
|
Department of Education
| Department of Veterans Affairs
|
Department of Energy
| Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
|
Department of Health and Human Services
| Environmental Protection Agency
|
Department of Homeland Security
| Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
|
Department of Housing and Urban Development
| General Services Administration
|
Department of Interior
| Small Business Administration
|
Department of Labor
| United States Agency for International Development
|
To learn more about the original lawsuit, please read here.
Attorney General Brown was joined by the attorneys general of Minnesota, 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.
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