Judge; Mass Firings Likely Unlawful

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in San Francisco finds the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful. Thursday’s decision grants temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal workforce. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the Office of Personnel Management to inform certain federal agencies that it had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees, including the Department of Defense. Lawyers for the personnel office say individual agencies made the decision to fire employees and that it had no role in ordering the firings.