Governor Josh Green, M.D.

 

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

 

DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA

 

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

 

ANNE LOPEZ

ATTORNEY GENERAL

LOIO KUHINA

ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNE LOPEZ WINS PRELIMINARY INJUCTION AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR MASS FIRINGS OF FEDERAL PROBATIONARY EMPLOYEES

 

News Release 2025-47

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

April 1, 2025

HONOLULU – Attorney General Anne Lopez and a coalition of 20 attorneys general have secured a preliminary injunction (PI) in a lawsuit against numerous federal agencies for the unlawful mass firing of federal probationary employees. The suit, Maryland et al. v. USDA, was filed in the United States District Court for Maryland.

 

The PI protects federal probationary employees who live or work in the plaintiff states and orders 20 federal agencies to reinstate unlawfully terminated probationary employees while the court case continues. The PI also requires those agencies to follow lawful procedures in conducting any future reductions in force.  

 

“The granting of this injunction sends a clear message that the government must follow certain laws and regulations when it comes to firing and laying off federal employees,” said Attorney General Lopez. “The federal workers who live and work in Hawaiʻi should not be treated as disposable. These agencies and their employees provide a critical safety net through social assistance programs and through state and federal partnerships.”

  

On March 6, 2025, Attorney General Lopez joined the coalition in suing numerous federal agencies for causing irreparable injury to the plaintiff states, including Hawaiʻi. The lawsuit sought immediate relief, and a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on March 14, 2025, against 18 federal agencies. The court later extended that order by five days, setting an expiration date of April 1, which would have resulted in devastating impacts on the plaintiff states, as well as their probationary federal employees.  

  

The PI extends the court’s earlier order requiring the federal agencies to stop the unlawful mass firings and to give those employees back their jobs while the attorneys general litigate the case against the agencies. The PI ensures that for the remainder of the case, the following federal agencies cannot continue their unlawful conduct:  

 

U.S. Department of Agriculture	U.S. Department of Transportation
U.S. Department of Commerce	U.S. Department of Treasury
U.S. Department of Defense	U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
U.S. Department of Education	Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
U.S. Department of Energy	Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services	Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
U.S. Department of Homeland Security	General Services Administration
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development	Office of Personnel Management
U.S. Department of Interior	Small Business Administration
U.S. Department of Labor	United States Agency for International Development

  

The state of Hawaiʻi is represented in this litigation by Special Assistant to the Attorney General Dave Day and Solicitor General Kalikoʻonālani Fernandes.

 

Attorney General Lopez was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

# # #

 

Media contacts:

Dave Day

Special Assistant to the Attorney General

Office: 808-586-1284

Email: [email protected]

Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

 

Toni Schwartz
Public Information Officer
Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General
Office: 808-586-1252
Cell: 808-379-9249
Email: [email protected]