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Attorney General Neronha and coalition win temporary block on mass firings of federal probationary employees

Federal judge orders 18 federal agencies to give employees their jobs back by Monday 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Neronha joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general to issue 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 employees by 1:00pm on Monday, March 17, 2025. 

President Trump blindsided Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island’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 Rhode Island 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. My 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 Neronha joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general on March 6, 2025, in suing numerous federal agencies for causing irreparable injuries to Rhode Island 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:  

 

To learn more about the original lawsuit, please read here.

Attorney General Neronha is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. 

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