March 7 (UPI) — A group of 20 attorneys general filed suit against the Trump administration over its firing of federal workers.
Attorneys general from 19 states and Washington sought a court order Thursday that would reinstate terminated probationary employees, who were either promoted or hired within the past two years and have less job protections than longer-serving federal workers.
The complaint, filed in United States District Court for the District of Maryland, names Trump cabinet members as plaintiffs, and alleges that “President Trump and his administration have made no secret of their contempt for the roughly two million committed professionals who form the federal civil service,” alleging that the firings are both illegal and the cause of nationwide chaos.
The suit further purports that the firings do not only ignore federal regulations regarding termination procedures but are also affecting the states where fired workers live, due to “increased administrative demands” related to unemployment claims, increased need of social services and a decrease in tax revenue.
According to the case documents, the goal is to restore the jobs of any probationary employees who were let go on or after Jan. 20 and to stop the future firing of any probationary employees.
The 20 attorneys general had previously filed an amicus brief last month in support of Gwynne Wilcox, who was fired from the National Labor Relations Board.
Wilcox had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, and a federal court has since declared that Wilcox was illegally let go and she now can keep her job.
The court ruling stated that Trump’s attempt to fire her was “blatantly illegal, and his constitutional arguments to excuse this illegal act are contrary to Supreme Court precedent and over a century of practice.”
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, who is among the 20 attorneys general involved, said in a press release that “This ruling is a victory for workers’ rights and labor unions.”