Legal Challenges to Trump’s Unlawful Actions Targeting Federal Employees and More

Over the last month, dozens of legal challenges have been filed against the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine democracy, roll back civil liberties, shut down vital federal agencies, and target federal employees.

There were several major successes this week, including the Merit Systems Protection Board order to halt the termination of nearly 6,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture probationary employees, the re-instatement of Gwynne Wilcox to the National Labor Relations Board, and more.    

Merit Systems Protection Board Halts Termination of Over 5,000 USDA Probationary Employees. In response to a complaint filed by Democracy Forward and Alden Law Group, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) announced on Wednesday March 5 that it was broadening a previously issued stay to halt the dismissal of all probationary employees at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The decision means that over 5,000 USDA probationary employees can return to their jobs for 45 days while the Office of Special Counsel continues its investigation as to whether the Trump administration engaged in prohibited personnel practices in their dismissal. The decision strengthens the case for protecting all impacted probationary employees and holding agencies accountable for sidestepping civil service protections. Democracy Forward and Alden Law Group have amended the complaint to include representative employees from at least 26 agencies and are continuing to urge to expand the stay to cover all probationary federal employees who were unlawfully terminated.

Judge Temporarily Blocks DOGE Takeover of U.S. African Development Foundation. On Wednesday March 6, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order temporarily blocking Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE)’s attempt to access the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and remove its President Ward Brehm. The ruling came in response to a legal challenge filed by Democracy Forward on behalf of Brehm.

Supreme Court Rejects Trump Administration's Attempt to Freeze Nearly $2 Billion in Foreign Aid. In response to a lawsuit filed by the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, the Global Health Council and other organizations, on Wednesday March 5, the U.S. Supreme Court backed a federal judge's order that the Trump administration unfreeze nearly $2 billion in funds owed to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contractors.

**Federal Judge Orders the Re-Instatement of Gwynne Wilcox as Chair of the National Labor Relations Board. **On Thursday March 6, a federal judge reversed the firing of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Gwynne Wilcox by President Donald Trump, with a scathing ruling stating that “an American president is not a king.” The order re-instating Wilcox came a month after she sued to be returned to the board.

Federal Judge Orders the Re-Instatement of Cathy Harris as Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board. On Tuesday March 4, a federal judge ruled that Cathy A. Harris, the chair of the federal Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), cannot be fired by President Trump “at will” and entered a permanent injunction to prevent administration officials from removing Chair Harris from her position without cause.  In his decision, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras stated that members of the MSPB may be removed from office “only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office,” but the president “provided no reason for Harris’s termination.”

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