Legal Actions

Former HHS employees have sued the Trump administration for terminating approximately 10,000 full-time employees, plaintiffs included, during the April 1 reduction in force (RIF). They alleged that these terminations were flawed with inaccurate performance ratings. The plaintiffs argue that the defendants' actions violated the Privacy Act by failing to keep accurate employee records.

A group of federal government employees have filed a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for sharing payment systems and personnel databases with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE has gained access to the payment systems and personnel records of several government agencies, many of which contain the highly sensitive personal and financial information of American citizens. The plaintiffs argue that DOGE's ability view their private information violates the Privacy Act by failing to ask for the plaintiffs consent before sharing their information with another person or agency.

A law practice representing federal workers has filed a class action complaint against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The complaint alleges that NOAA's mass termination of probationary employees in February 2025 violated the Privacy Act. Specifically, the complaint claims that NOAA, along with the Department of Commerce, DOGE, OPM, and OMB, maintained and used inaccurate and incomplete personnel records by asserting the employees were fired due to poor job performance without providing supporting evidence or documentation.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and four Pennsylvania state agencies have sued the Trump administration in order to prevent the pause of all federal grant programs as detailed in an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memorandum issued on January 27, 2025. The memo, titled "Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs," places an indefinite pause on funding for all federally financed programs across the nation. The plaintiffs are state government agencies that rely upon federal funding that Congress has allotted them in order to carry out programs to build infrastructure, protect natural resources, and create jobs. The plaintiffs argue that the federal funding freeze violates the Administrative Procedure Act as well as the Constitutional separation of powers by withholding funds designated by Congress. The plaintiffs request that the court declare the memo unlawful and restore federal funding for Pennsylvania's state agencies. On August 13, 2025, the plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntarily dismissal without prejudice, stating, “all funding at issue in this lawsuit has been made available to Plaintiffs once again.”

The Government Accountability Project and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging Executive Order 14171, titled "Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce." This executive order removes employment protections for civil servants, allowing them to be fired arbitrarily without consideration of merit or performance. The plaintiffs argue that this order was an overreach by the executive branch that violates the Administrative Procedure Act, as well as the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment.

The OCA - Asian Pacific America Advocates, along with two expectant immigrant mothers living in the country without citizenship, have sued the Trump administration in an attempt to block Executive Order 14160, which denies birthright citizenship to children born in the U.S. whose parents are not citizens or lawful permanent residents. The plaintiffs argue that this order directly violates the 14th Amendment and should to be declared unconstitutional and unenforceable.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) has sued the Trump administration to block Executive Order 14171, titled "Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce." This executive order removes employment protections for civil servants, allowing them to be fired arbitrarily without consideration of merit or performance. PEER argues that this order was an overreach by the executive branch that violates the Administrative Procedure Act, as well as the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), a labor union representing federal government employees, has sued the Trump administration in an attempt to block President Trump's Executive Order 14171. This Executive Order removes employment protections for civil servants, allowing them to be fired arbitrarily without consideration of merit or performance. NTEU argues that this order was an overreach by the executive branch that violates the Administrative Procedure Act.