Washington — A federal judge on Tuesday declined to reinstate a group of internal watchdogs at eight federal agencies who were fired by President Trump earlier this year, but she wrote that the president broke the law when he ousted them without notifying Congress and providing justification for the removals.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes declined the officials’ request for an order allowing them to return to their jobs as inspectors general unless Mr. Trump removes them in a way that complies with federal law. Reyes said the plaintiffs, eight former government watchdogs, failed to show that they had suffered irreparable harm as a result of their firings.
She noted that even if the officials were reinstated to their roles, as they asked to be, Mr. Trump could remove them again after 30 days by providing notice and a rationale to Congress, requirements laid out in the Inspector General Act.
“The Court recognizes Plaintiffs’ exceptional service as IGs, marked by decades of distinguished leadership across multiple administrations. They sacrificed much to take on the role of an IG and its many demands — no doubt including substantial time away from family and far larger paychecks available in the private sector,” Reyes wrote in a 20-page decision. “They deserved better from their government. They still do. Unfortunately, this Court cannot provide Plaintiffs more.”
Still, she said that Mr. Trump violated that law when he fired the internal agency watchdogs without telling Congress or laying out the reasons for the removals.
“President Trump violated the IGA. That much is obvious,” Reyes wrote.
The inspectors general who sued were among a group of 17 whom Mr. Trump fired en masse days after returning to the White House in January. They worked at the Small Business Administration and Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Labor, State, and Veterans Affairs. Inspectors general are tasked with investigating wrongdoing and rooting out fraud and waste at government agency. They work independently from the agencies they oversee, and typically serve across Democratic and Republican administrations.
The officials were informed of their firings through an email from the White House’s Personnel Office, which stated that “due to changing priorities,” they were terminated from their respective positions “effective immediately.”
But the removals failed to comply with federal law, which required the president to provide Congress with 30-day notice and “case-specific reasons” for removing an inspector general, the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said in a letter to Mr. Trump.
The senators asked the president to provide and required notice and information “immediately.” But Reyes noted in her decision there has not been a response.
The inspectors general filed a lawsuit challenging the removals in mid-February, arguing that the president violated the Inspector General Act and acted outside of his authority by dismissing them without notifying Congress and providing a rationale. They asked the court to reinstate them to their positions and are seeking back pay.
Since then, Mr. Trump has nominated new candidates to serve as inspectors general for five of the agencies, and the Senate confirmed one, at the Department of Veterans Affairs, last month.
The firings are part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump to reshape the federal government. He has fired numerous officials appointed by former President Joe Biden to serve at independent agencies, actions that have sparked legal battles.
The Supreme Court has so far allowed the president to oust officials at four agencies and is currently weighing a bid by the Trump administration to fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.
