by Ella Lee at The Hill
A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to rescind memos that directed agencies across the federal government to fire probationary employees, finding they were likely unlawful.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup said OPM must notify agencies it did not have the authority to call for the firing of those employees but stopped short of directing agencies themselves not to continue with terminations.
The order only applies to agencies with ties to the plaintiffs in the case, but the judge urged the government to go a step further and notify other agencies as well.
“(The) Office of Personnel Management does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe, to hire and fire employees within another agency,” Alsup said.
“The agencies could thumb their nose at OPM if they wanted to,” he added.
Alsup said he would release an opinion with further details in “due course.” An evidentiary hearing is expected next month, where the judge said he wanted OPM acting director Charles Ezell to testify.
A coalition of government employee unions sued over OPM’s directive to…
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