Summary

The Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency that oversees illegal actions taken against federal workers, ruled that the mass firings of probationary federal workers (those in a trial period after being hired) are likely illegal.

The decision, affecting 6 cases, found that the terminations lacked individualized cause, violating federal rules.

OSC head Hampton Dellinger stated, “Firing probationary employees without individualized cause appears contrary to a reasonable reading of the law.”

This ruling could challenge the legality of nearly all such dismissals, opening the door for broader legal action.

  • dellish@lemmy.world
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    40 minutes ago

    Yeah, but, what are you going to do about it? Trump is above the law and Elon certainly isn’t going to be fined, let alone go to jail, over this. Courts and lawyers can cry all they want, who’s going to enforce it? Nobody, that’s who. So sure, Point out they’re doing illegal things - the law doesn’t seem to matter to those in charge any more.

  • pyrflie@lemm.ee
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    19 minutes ago

    You guys do realize this is the same type of govt that resulted in the trail of tears right? If the courts can it’s their problem to enforce it. Cause Auth Branch won’t.

    That means they need to issue Dead or Alive warrants for cabinet and elected officials (including President).

    Only one judge’s signature is necessary for a warrant.

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      I’m pretty sure anyone coming back, or that wants to ever join again will ask for more pay due to the fuckery and uncertainty it causes.

    • cley_faye@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      It will either cost a lot in legal fees, or a lot in every fucking thing is broken everywhere and most services that were already busting at the seams to somewhat operate will just pop like melons under a giant truck tire.

    • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
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      10 hours ago

      Even if it does, I am certain that Musk himself will have zero legal liability here. His position is unofficial, all his authority is “because Trump says so”, and I strongly doubt he signing his name or signature on anything. That itself should scare people (even those who agree with what he’s doing), but most Americans are just sleepwalking.

      • Jhex@lemmy.world
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        9 hours ago

        If the USA had a functional justicebsystem, Musk would have been at least detained and bar from tpuchibg government systems… but alas, there is no functional law in the USA at the moment

    • IamSparticles@lemmy.zip
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      13 hours ago

      This is the exact problem. Trump and Musk are walking through the forest firing a flamethrower indiscriminately, and there are a bunch of people on the outskirts yelling “Hey, you can’t do that!”

        • Rhoeri@lemmy.world
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          2 hours ago

          The smug entitlement it takes non-voters to think that it’s the voters that are to blame for this blows my mind.

          Especially when it was those the voted that tried to warn everyone this exact thing was going to happen.

    • Styxia@lemmy.world
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      14 hours ago

      After considering this question carefully, I expect the answer is: the square root of fuck all.

    • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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      13 hours ago

      At some point all the people fired will likely get some money, some may get jobs. It probably takes at least a year for that to happen though.

  • andallthat@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    It’s kind of funny (the sad kind of funny) that people with years of legal studies and experience have to meet and formally rule that something blatantly illegal to the point of stupidity is… well… illegal.

    “If I have a made-up position that my own government admits is not an official one, can I go ahead and randomly fire thousands of people?”

    “A ha! Good question, let’s see what my copy of The Legal System for Dummies says!”

    • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
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      16 hours ago

      I mean, they know it’s not “legal”, they are just testing the boundaries of judicial oversight. They are going to push boundaries and whenever they get any kind of push back they are going to scream about persecution and claim judicial over reach.

      The point is to overwhelm the system to the point of breaking and then claim we don’t need to listen to the judicial system, because look how broken it is.

      These people aren’t stupid, they’re just fascist who know things like legal systems are social contracts that depend on good will and trust to operate. If they can break that good will and trust them they can rewrite the social contract.

      It is dangerous to assume these people are just stupid.

      • brbposting@sh.itjust.works
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        14 hours ago

        Just gonna quote the smart relevant alarming resharable parts of this comment

        I mean, they know it’s not “legal”, they are just testing the boundaries of judicial oversight. They are going to push boundaries and whenever they get any kind of push back they are going to scream about persecution and claim judicial over reach.

        The point is to overwhelm the system to the point of breaking and then claim we don’t need to listen to the judicial system, because look how broken it is.

        These people aren’t stupid, they’re just fascist who know things like legal systems are social contracts that depend on good will and trust to operate. If they can break that good will and trust them they can rewrite the social contract.

        It is dangerous to assume these people are just stupid.

      • andallthat@lemmy.world
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        13 hours ago

        For what it’s worth, I didn’t think they are stupid, just that they are doing blatantly stupid, over-the-top stuff.

        On purpose? Yes it’s a really scary thought that this might be a coup in slo-mo. And I mean slo-mo just relative to the more common “army abruptly takes power” approach, but it’s still disturbingly fast.

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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      14 hours ago

      It’s kind of funny (the sad kind of funny) that people with years of legal studies and experience have to meet and formally rule that something blatantly illegal to the point of stupidity is… well… illegal.

      Well yeah - that’s how it works. If you don’t care about law and rules you just do shit. The people who enforce the rules have to follow them and go through processes - and by gum that’s time and work! (And who wants to do work? Definitely none of the judges and lawyers I’ve met lol)

      If they imminent domain your house to build a turnpike to siphon off money to foreign investors - that’s on you to put the time and effort into fighting it. If they run voucher programs and charter school scams that benefit their friends - well, they have other friends who often are the ones supposed to enforce the rules. They act, you have to pull yourself together and react. How can you fight an illegal eviction if you’re too busy trying to find a new place to sleep?

      It’s that old idea that the state has a monopoly on violence.

      • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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        13 hours ago

        And while you’re legally following all the rules they’re already moving on to the next thing and cornering you before you even act.

        This is your landlord illegally evicting you and then also lying to get you arrested and then paying someone to murder you in jail.

        • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          The double bind too is that people think when illegal things happen that they get stopped, so they don’t believe that the illegal things are even happening. So many levers of justice - in the US at least - are really determined by one’s ability to get access to a lawyer or the ever increasing rarity of getting sympathetic news coverage.

          There is no justice, and then no one believes you. If the gaslighting brings you to mental illness - even more justification to pretend these things aren’t happening.

  • barnaclebutt@lemmy.world
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    14 hours ago

    But the DOGE guys are so cool. That guy is the next Tony Stark with a totally huge penis. And those children running the day to day workings of DOGE definitely slay pussy. Not punchable faces at all!