Maryland joins 19-state lawsuit over mass firings of federal probationary employees
Maryland has joined 18 other states in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the mass firings of federal employees.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court, alleges that the Trump administration circumvented required procedures for large-scale federal workforce reductions by targeting probationary employees - those recently hired, promoted or transferred who are still within their one or two-year trial periods.
"President Trump's unlawful mass firings of federal workers are a blatant attack on the civil service, throwing thousands of hardworking families into financial turmoil," Attorney General Brown said. "Instead of following the law and notifying states, his administration blindsided Maryland, forcing us to deal with the devastating economic fallout and social consequences. We won't stand by while he disrupts lives and undermines our State, which is why I've taken legal action to stop these unjustified terminations and protect Marylanders."
What the lawsuit says
The attorneys general argue that federal agencies were required to follow "Reduction in Force" protocols, which include giving preference to military veterans and providing state governments with at least 60 days' notice before laying off 50 or more employees.
"While federal agencies claimed, in the form of termination letters, that these probationary employees were fired for unsatisfactory performance or conduct, the firings were part of the administration's attempt to restructure and downsize the entire federal government," Brown said in a statement.
According to the lawsuit, the agencies did not provide advance notice to Maryland, which has already received unemployment benefit applications from more than 800 terminated federal employees.
The lawsuit seeks to reinstate fired employees, halt further similar terminations and identify all affected workers.
The coalition includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin plus the District of Columbia.
Federal officials have maintained that the employees were terminated for performance or conduct reasons, rather than as part of a broader workforce reduction strategy.
Trump administration moves to shrink federal workforce
In January 2025, President Trump issued an executive order mandating federal employees to return to in-person work, effectively ending remote work options. The order, coupled with a federal hiring freeze, triggered widespread confusion and panic in Maryland, which houses over 158,000 federal employees across 38 federal agencies as of 2023.
Last month, the federal government's personnel and budget offices issued a memo ordering federal agencies to submit "reorganization plans," within two weeks and prepare for mass firings.
"Agencies should also seek to consolidate areas of the agency organization chart that are duplicative; consolidate management layers where unnecessary layers exist," the memo said in part.
That memo followed numerous directives from the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk.
Governor Wes Moore commended Brown and the other attorneys general for filing the lawsuit.
"Maryland's federal workforce comprises roughly 160,000 jobs—10,000 of whom hold probationary status. These workers are dedicated patriots who keep us safe, who provide essential services, and whose mission is to serve our people. Our state would be incomplete without their service, Moore said. "The draconian actions of the Trump-Vance Administration could lead to tens of thousands of jobs lost, hundreds of thousands of lives disrupted, and the cratering of tens of millions of dollars in income here in Maryland."
