A federal judge has temporarily blocked the CIA and the Office of Director of National Intelligence from firing 11 people whose jobs were eliminated to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to end federal diversity programs.
Legal Intervention to Protect Employees' Rights
U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga issued an order Tuesday pausing the firings after a hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, in response to a lawsuit filed by intelligence officers who said the dismissals violated their constitutional rights and federal law.
Trenga, an appointee of President George W. Bush, issued an administrative stay directing the agencies to keep the employees on administrative leave while barring any effort to cut off their pay or fire them.
Clarification on Agency Regulations
The brief written order from Trenga doesn't give a detailed reason for the stay but says he wanted 'clarification as to what Agency regulations are implicated in this case and the potential irreparable harm' to the plaintiffs, who were fired as part of Trump's efforts to end DEI programs in the federal government.
A lawyer for the intelligence officials, all of whom were identified by pseudonyms in the lawsuit, welcomed the ruling.
Questions on Compliance with Executive Order
Carroll said his clients began getting messages over the weekend to report Tuesday to a visitor center with their official identification, a request he said typically signals a looming dismissal. He said the employees received notices specifying Trump's executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs as the reason.
Legal Implications and Future Hearings
Spokespeople for the CIA and ODNI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
One looming legal issue in the case is the breadth of the government's power to dismiss intelligence agency employees without recourse to the courts. Notices given to some employees who sued said they were being dismissed under the CIA director's authority to dismiss anyone whose employment is deemed by the director not to be in the interest of the United States.
Trenga set another hearing in the case for Feb. 24.