Attorney General Kwame Raoul has successfully obtained a temporary restraining order from the United States District Court for Maryland, halting mass layoffs of federal probationary employees. The court's decision requires 18 federal agencies to stop the dismissals and reinstate affected employees by March 17.
The Trump administration had previously terminated thousands of these employees without providing the legally mandated 60-day notice to states. "This ruling requires the Trump administration to stop these indiscriminate and unlawful layoffs and also orders it to undo the harm inflicted by restoring the jobs of hardworking federal employees," Raoul stated. He emphasized that these actions disregard legal protocols and disrupt government stability.
The temporary restraining order follows a lawsuit filed by Raoul and a coalition of 20 attorneys general against several federal agencies. The lawsuit argued that the firings caused significant harm to state economies and overwhelmed their capacity to support unemployed individuals. In Illinois alone, over 440 former federal employees have sought unemployment benefits since January, nearly matching all claims filed in 2024.
The court's order affects various agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Education, and others. While reinstating jobs, it acknowledges that lawful procedures must be followed for any future layoffs.
Joining Attorney General Raoul in this legal action were attorneys general from Maryland, Minnesota, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.