A federal judge has allowed President Donald Trump's administration to continue its mass firings of federal employees, overturning a bid by labor unions to halt the downsizing of the approximately 2.3 million-strong federal workforce.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., stated that Trump's numerous executive actions during his first month in office caused \"disruption and even chaos in widespread quarters of American society.\" However, Judge Cooper mentioned that he likely does not possess the authority to determine the legality of firing tens of thousands of government workers.
The unions are now expected to file complaints with the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which adjudicates disputes between federal agencies and the unions representing their workers, according to Cooper.
In a recent move, Trump fired the Democratic chair of the three-member panel, who had filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement.
\"Federal district judges are duty-bound to decide legal issues based on even-handed application of law and precedent – no matter the identity of the litigants or, regrettably at times, the consequences of their rulings for average people,\" Judge Cooper wrote.
By declining to block the mass firings during ongoing litigation, the ruling marks a victory for the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the federal workforce and eliminate what it considers wasteful and fraudulent government spending.
The White House and the U.S. Department of Justice have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, described the decision as a temporary setback and affirmed that the union would continue its legal challenge.
\"There is no doubt that the administration's actions are an illegal end-run around Congress, which has the sole power to create and oversee federal agencies and their important missions,\" Greenwald stated.
The treasury union, along with four others, filed a lawsuit last week aiming to block eight agencies—including the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Department of Veterans Affairs—from firing thousands of federal workers and granting buyouts to employees who choose to resign voluntarily.
Judge Cooper's decision is the latest in a series of setbacks for unions attempting to use the courts to oppose Trump's unprecedented efforts to downsize the federal bureaucracy. At least two other judges have previously ruled that unions lack the legal standing to challenge the administration's mass firings and other initiatives, citing their inability to demonstrate direct harm.
