A US judge on Thursday ordered six federal agencies to rehire thousands of probationary workers who were fired as part of Donald Trump's efforts to shrink the federal government. Judge William Alsup ruled that the justification of "poor performance" for last month's mass layoffs was a "sham" intended to bypass legal requirements. The ruling, following a lawsuit by employee unions, mandates that the Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, and Interior departments reinstate improperly terminated workers. Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively cut government spending and slashed federal jobs, facing multiple legal challenges along the way. While Alsup acknowledged that agencies have the right to reduce staff, he emphasized that it must be done lawfully through proper "reduction in force" procedures. He ruled that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) overstepped its authority by issuing directives for mass firings, despite administration lawyers arguing it had only provided guidance. Court records, however, showed that agencies like the IRS and the Department of Defense received direct orders from OPM to terminate probationary employees. Trump's efforts to reshape the federal government, backed by figures like Elon Musk, have sparked intense debate, with supporters calling it a push for efficiency and critics warning of an attack on public institutions. The latest example came this week when the Education Department announced plans to cut staff in half as a step toward dismantling the agency. Despite legal and political resistance, Trump faces little opposition from Washington, as Democrats struggle to recover from electoral losses and Republicans largely defer to executive authority.