this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2025
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Summary

The Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency that oversees illegal actions taken against federal workers, ruled that the mass firings of probationary federal workers (those in a trial period after being hired) are likely illegal.

The decision, affecting 6 cases, found that the terminations lacked individualized cause, violating federal rules.

OSC head Hampton Dellinger stated, "Firing probationary employees without individualized cause appears contrary to a reasonable reading of the law."

This ruling could challenge the legality of nearly all such dismissals, opening the door for broader legal action.

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[–] painfulasterisk1@lemmy.ml 119 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Ok. It is illegal. The question is, are they going to do anything about it?

[–] IamSparticles@lemmy.zip 53 points 6 days ago (2 children)

This is the exact problem. Trump and Musk are walking through the forest firing a flamethrower indiscriminately, and there are a bunch of people on the outskirts yelling "Hey, you can't do that!"

[–] Styxia@lemmy.world 26 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

After considering this question carefully, I expect the answer is: the square root of fuck all.

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

At some point all the people fired will likely get some money, some may get jobs. It probably takes at least a year for that to happen though.

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Oh it's gonna cost the government a fortune in lawsuits, people will get their salary and job back

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[–] andallthat@lemmy.world 133 points 6 days ago (2 children)

It's kind of funny (the sad kind of funny) that people with years of legal studies and experience have to meet and formally rule that something blatantly illegal to the point of stupidity is... well... illegal.

"If I have a made-up position that my own government admits is not an official one, can I go ahead and randomly fire thousands of people?"

"A ha! Good question, let's see what my copy of The Legal System for Dummies says!"

[–] TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee 62 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I mean, they know it's not "legal", they are just testing the boundaries of judicial oversight. They are going to push boundaries and whenever they get any kind of push back they are going to scream about persecution and claim judicial over reach.

The point is to overwhelm the system to the point of breaking and then claim we don't need to listen to the judicial system, because look how broken it is.

These people aren't stupid, they're just fascist who know things like legal systems are social contracts that depend on good will and trust to operate. If they can break that good will and trust them they can rewrite the social contract.

It is dangerous to assume these people are just stupid.

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 11 points 6 days ago

Just gonna quote the smart relevant alarming resharable parts of this comment

I mean, they know it's not "legal", they are just testing the boundaries of judicial oversight. They are going to push boundaries and whenever they get any kind of push back they are going to scream about persecution and claim judicial over reach.

The point is to overwhelm the system to the point of breaking and then claim we don't need to listen to the judicial system, because look how broken it is.

These people aren't stupid, they're just fascist who know things like legal systems are social contracts that depend on good will and trust to operate. If they can break that good will and trust them they can rewrite the social contract.

It is dangerous to assume these people are just stupid.

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[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (2 children)

It’s kind of funny (the sad kind of funny) that people with years of legal studies and experience have to meet and formally rule that something blatantly illegal to the point of stupidity is… well… illegal.

Well yeah - that’s how it works. If you don’t care about law and rules you just do shit. The people who enforce the rules have to follow them and go through processes - and by gum that’s time and work! (And who wants to do work? Definitely none of the judges and lawyers I’ve met lol)

If they imminent domain your house to build a turnpike to siphon off money to foreign investors - that’s on you to put the time and effort into fighting it. If they run voucher programs and charter school scams that benefit their friends - well, they have other friends who often are the ones supposed to enforce the rules. They act, you have to pull yourself together and react. How can you fight an illegal eviction if you’re too busy trying to find a new place to sleep?

It’s that old idea that the state has a monopoly on violence.

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[–] Modern_medicine_isnt@lemmy.world 54 points 6 days ago (3 children)

At some point, all of this is going to cost the taxpayers a lot of money in legal fees and settlements.

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 25 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Even if it does, I am certain that Musk himself will have zero legal liability here. His position is unofficial, all his authority is "because Trump says so", and I strongly doubt he signing his name or signature on anything. That itself should scare people (even those who agree with what he's doing), but most Americans are just sleepwalking.

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 14 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If the USA had a functional justicebsystem, Musk would have been at least detained and bar from tpuchibg government systems... but alas, there is no functional law in the USA at the moment

[–] Brickhead92@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

Who needs the law when you've got money!

Oh, you don't have money. I guess you need the law.

[–] cley_faye@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It will either cost a lot in legal fees, or a lot in every fucking thing is broken everywhere and most services that were already busting at the seams to somewhat operate will just pop like melons under a giant truck tire.

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[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I'm pretty sure anyone coming back, or that wants to ever join again will ask for more pay due to the fuckery and uncertainty it causes.

[–] witten@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

I mean, yeah. Part of the low pay inherent in U.S. government jobs is the baked-in assumption that it's one of the most stable jobs around. Once that assumption goes out the window, the government will have to pay more to make up for the loss of that major perk.

[–] limer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 59 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked.

[–] spirinolas@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

How amoosing!

[–] CMDR_Horn@lemmy.world 70 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I found out yesterday the government employees who received a promotion are also put on probation. Someone I know was fired after 20years of service just for the crime of being a good enough employee to deserve a promotion.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 40 points 6 days ago (2 children)

So they didn't even just limit it to new-hire probationary employees, but also included people who just entered a new title after being an employee for years?

So so so fucking dumb.

If we still have a functioning government and legal system after all of this is said and done, the federal government will be paying out billions of dollars in (completely reasonable) lawsuits.

Super efficient.

[–] parody@lemmings.world 5 points 6 days ago

It’s easy to miss that kind of thing without testing. Traditionally it’s been considered a decent idea to spend more than six seconds firing thousands of people.

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[–] credo@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

Was probably put on “supervisory probation” which is for all new supervisors. I.e., its not just an increase in pay due to increased skills/duties.

I know someone in the same boat and I was wondering if they would get caught in all this stupidity as well.

[–] medicsofanarchy@lemmy.world 62 points 6 days ago (7 children)

So each fired employee saves, let's say, $75,000. Then each sues the government and wins a $250,000 settlement, and gets their job back. Of course the government spends $300,000 on lawyers for each case. The savings practically leap into our pockets!

[–] dan1101@lemm.ee 27 points 6 days ago (1 children)

There's also nothing efficient about firing people from various critical agencies and then scrambling to bring the back after their records have been purged.

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[–] Exusia@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

It's an ouroborus - a self feeding problem that will always be able to Boogeyman the problem it caused. Those employees will then be painted as wasting money by tying up courts for settlements, decried like the McDonald's coffee incident all over again.

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[–] iamnotme@feddit.uk 39 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Guess who’s getting fired in the morning

[–] Theonetheycall1845@lemmy.world 19 points 6 days ago

Not a goddamn person that needs to be fired. That's for sure.

[–] Litebit@lemmy.world 42 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)
[–] unphazed@lemmy.world 26 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, his income level puts him on the "petty fine" tier.

[–] ZoopZeZoop@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I will accept no less than 99.99% of his net worth.

[–] PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk 10 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

you want to leave him $4.02b?

[–] unphazed@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Wouldn't that be 400 million? (400bil x 99.99%) Still a lot, and I could retire happily off that much for sure.

[–] PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

Mental arithmetic was never my strong point

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[–] dellish@lemmy.world 21 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Yeah, but, what are you going to do about it? Trump is above the law and Elon certainly isn't going to be fined, let alone go to jail, over this. Courts and lawyers can cry all they want, who's going to enforce it? Nobody, that's who. So sure, Point out they're doing illegal things - the law doesn't seem to matter to those in charge any more.

[–] witten@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Get that defeatism out of here. They're only above the law if we let them be. To date, the Trump administration has backed off when a judge rules against them. Sure, they then try to come up with new, illegal shit to do. But the courts definitely still have a place in putting the brakes on it.

[–] barnaclebutt@lemmy.world 34 points 6 days ago (2 children)

But the DOGE guys are so cool. That guy is the next Tony Stark with a totally huge penis. And those children running the day to day workings of DOGE definitely slay pussy. Not punchable faces at all!

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[–] awesomesauce309@midwest.social 36 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Now a look at tomorrows news: Trump orders the office of special counsel to let a 5 year old doge “employee” install a scraper in their server room with sysadmin access.

[–] couch1potato@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Guaranteed trump just found out this office exists because of this ruling

[–] keckbug@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago

Actually, Hampton Dellinger himself was already fired earlier in the purge, but was temporarily reinstateted by a lower court and that was upheld by the Supreme Court (so far). It’s been one of the first cases to land on their desk, and is worth watching closely.

[–] notabot@lemm.ee 6 points 6 days ago

Where's the BOFH when you need him? The server room? Certainly, just through this doorway... Oh! Whoops, my mistake, that was the unfinished fire escape.

[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago

I'm sure they'll stop right away!

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 9 points 6 days ago

Oooohhh, and will he care? Will he stop?

No

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 13 points 6 days ago

sounds like elon just found some new inefficiency

/s

[–] Mog_fanatic@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago

Oh man. They're gonna get it now!!! No way they get out of this without absolutely anything happening and just continue to do what they've been doing!!

[–] Zier@fedia.io 7 points 6 days ago

Everything President Felon and VP KetamineTrip are doing is illegal. And it will cost BILLIONS in the end to fix. Money that was need for more important things.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Isn't it a good thing that this bureaucracy, which so many rail against, is what keeps corporate-fascism in check?

[–] gabbath@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

It is. That's why the corporate fascists are trying to demonize and dismantle it. There's a reason Musk started with the ones that were investigating his companies.

Although keeping it in check will likely require the authorities to obey the findings of these agencies. They'll be getting conflicting orders from the MAGA admin. That's the constitutional crisis in a nutshell — if authorities side with MAGA, then it becomes a coup.

[–] Becoming@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Gee, imagine that!

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