A coalition of 20 states has waded into the intensifying legal clash over mass firings of federal employees under the Trump administration, launching a lawsuit aimed at reversing the controversial dismissals.
Filed in a Maryland federal court, the legal challenge—led by New York, California, Arizona, and Colorado, among others—accuses President Donald Trump of unlawfully firing tens of thousands of federal workers. The suit demands their reinstatement and seeks to block further dismissals deemed illegal.
Trump, alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has spearheaded an aggressive effort to shrink the federal workforce, claiming it is riddled with waste and inefficiency. But critics argue the administration is bypassing critical legal safeguards, terminating employees without proper notice or due process.
“The Trump administration’s illegal mass firings of federal workers are a slap in the face to those who have spent their careers serving our country,” stated New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The legal battle is already yielding setbacks for Trump. A federal judge on February 27 temporarily halted mass terminations within the Department of Defense and other agencies. More recently, another judge reinstated a Democratic appointee to the National Labor Relations Board, while a federal workforce oversight board ordered the return of thousands of fired Agriculture Department employees.
With states now entering the fray, the fight over the fate of these workers—and the broader structure of the federal government—is far from over.
