A federal judge on Wednesday sharply rebuked the Trump administration’s argument that the Constitution vests President Donald Trump with the power to unilaterally fire federal workers as the head of the executive branch.
“The Government’s arguments paint with a broad brush and threaten to upend fundamental protections in our Constitution,” U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan wrote. “But ours is not an autocracy; it is a system of checks and. balances.”
Why It Matters
Sooknanan on Wednesday became the latest judge to push back on Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk‘s crusade to rapidly shrink the size of the federal government through a combination of firings, forced resignations and deferred resignation offers.
Sooknanan ruled that Trump’s firing of Susan Tsui Grundmann, a member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), was unconstitutional and ordered that she be reinstated.
What To Know
Congress created the FLRA to manage and resolve disputes related to labor organization in the federal workforce.
Sooknanan, who was appointed to the judiciary by President Joe Biden in January, noted that Congress gave FLRA members some statutory protections saying they could only be removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office and only after receiving notice and a hearing.
“In the nearly fifty years since the FLRA’s creation, no President has ever removed a Member,” Sooknanan wrote. “Until now. On February 10, 2025, the Plaintiff, Susan Tsui Grundmann, received a two-sentence email on behalf of President Donald J. Trump informing her that her position on the FLRA had been terminated.”
“Ms. Grundmann received no explanation whatsoever for her termination,” the ruling said. “And she did not receive notice or a hearing. Ms. Grundmann is not alone. This is one of a series of cases filed in this District challenging the President’s unprecedented removal of officers across the federal government without cause, including Members of the Merit Systems Protection Board and the National Labor Relations Board, as well as the Special Counsel.”
The judge was critical of the government’s defense of Grundmann’s firing, particularly its claim that the Constitution gives the president “the entirety of the ‘executive Power.’”
“The Government’s arguments paint with a broad brush and threaten to upend fundamental protections in our Constitution,” Sooknanan wrote. “But ours is not an autocracy; it is a system of checks and balances. Our Founders recognized that the concentration of power in one branch of government would spell disaster.”
Sooknanan’s ruling came shortly after another federal judge appeared skeptical of the widespread firing of federal workers.
“This case isn’t about whether or not the government can terminate people. It’s about, if they decide to terminate people, how they must do it,” U.S. District Judge James Bredar said at a hearing in which nearly 20 states are seeking a temporary restraining order to stop Trump from firing more federal probationary workers and reinstate those who have already been dismissed.
“Move fast and break things,” Bredar said, referring to the philosophy popularized by Meta‘s Mark Zuckerberg and supported by Musk that guides Silicon Valley. “Move fast, fine. Break things, if that involves breaking the law, then that becomes problematic.”
What People Are Saying
Grundmann said in her lawsuit: “The President’s removal of Plaintiff for no cause, much less any reasons relating to inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance, without notice and a hearing, and during an unexpired term, was in flagrant violation of the plain language of the statute” establishing the FLRA.
Norm Eisen, executive chair of the State Democracy Defenders Fund, which represented Grundmann, told Newsweek in a statement: “Today, a federal judge ruled that the removal of Susan Tsui Grundmann as a Member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority was unlawful. The judge ordered the Authority’s current chairman—and any officials under their authority—not to interfere with Grundmann’s ability to serve. The judge further ordered that Grundmann be given access to the government facilities and equipment necessary to carry out her duties. Another illegal action by the Trump administration has been struck down. This is an important win for the American people.”
What Happens Next
The Trump administration will likely appeal Sooknanan’s ruling, as it has other rulings reinstating fired federal workers to their positions.
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