Trump Administration sued over mass firings of federal employees

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes joined 19 other attorneys general to sue the Trump Administration over its mass firings of federal employees.

“These mass firings aren’t about performance; they’re about politics and ideology,” Attorney General Mayes said in a written statement issued on Thursday, March 13, 2025. “The Trump Administration’s actions are reckless and illegal.”

The Trump Administration has framed the firings as a way to save money, but the firings have affected major departments such as Veterans Affairs, Social Security and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Attorney General Mayes and the other AGs argue the firings are illegal.

The attorneys general are demanding the court to reinstate the fired employees and stop further terminations.

Probationary workers have been the target for layoffs because usually they are new to the job and lack civic service protection.

The AGs claim the layoffs will cause a significant drop in income taxes collected by the states to the tune of millions of dollars especially in Maryland, where about 250,000 federal employees live.

In an interview with NPR Morning Edition host A Martínez, Attorney General Mayes said, “We want the judge obviously to rule that these mass firings of probationary employees were illegal.” 

“We want the Trump administration to reinstate these fired employees. We want the judge to order that further similar terminations be stopped. And we want to identify all of the affected employees,” Attorney General Mayes said.