Unions Re-up Suit Against Trump Rule for Federal Worker Firings

Public service groups and a collection of unions renewed their lawsuit against the Trump administration’s effort to weaken job protections for government employees.

The coalition, which includes Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and American Federation of Government Employees, filed a consolidated and updated legal challenge against a final regulation that would potentially reclassify tens of thousands of federal policy-influencing employees into a new “policy/career” category from which President Donald Trump could fire them at will.

The updated challenge combines a pair of lawsuits previously filed by PEER, AFGE, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, in the US District Court for the District of Maryland.

The renewed fight comes after the unions vowed to bring the Trump administration back to court after federal judges in both Washington and Maryland stayed their earlier cases pending the release of the final rule, which published in February.

“This profoundly troubling rule advances efforts by the administration to politicize policymaking by removing scientists and experts and inserting, instead, those who will follow the wishes of political leaders,” said Tim Whitehouse, PEER’s executive director.

The Office of Personnel Management estimated 50,000 people, about 2% of the federal workforce, may be affected. The rule sets no limit on how many positions Trump can change or how often he might issue follow-up orders reclassifying more positions.

OPM declined to comment on the pending litigation. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The case is Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility v. Trump, D. Md., No. 8:25-cv-00260-PX, 3/4/26.