The judge ordered the reinstatement of federal employees, but a worker fired from the USDA office in Warwick says wants to put it behind him and won't go back

PROVIDENCE – A federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of federal employees in Rhode Island and other states who were fired as part of the Trump administration's effort to slash the federal workforce , according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

A judge in the United States District Court for Maryland on Thursday issued a temporary restraining order for 18 federal agencies, ordering them to stop the mass layoffs of federal probationary employees and to reinstate fired employees by 1 p.m. on Monday, according to Neronha.

Neronha last week joined a coalition of attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit against federal agencies for conducting "illegal mass layoffs" of federal probationary employees. The lawsuit claims that the federal agencies caused "irreparable injuries to Rhode Island and the other plaintiff states."

Neronha said, "President Trump blindsided Rhode Island when he fired thousands of federal probationary employees without giving us the 60-day notice required by law. He jeopardized these employees' financial security, threatened Rhode Island’s economy, and risked overwhelming our state’s ability to help those who were out of work."

"This ruling not only requires the Trump Administration to stop these indiscriminate and unlawful layoffs but also orders it to undo the harm inflicted on Rhode Island by restoring the jobs of hardworking federal employees," Neronha said.

President Donald Trump has said he's cutting waste and fraud in the federal government.

As of Friday morning, employees who'd been fired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Services office in Warwick hadn't been notified about returning to their jobs. Workers had previously estimated that 13 employees had been fired.

Will the Rhode Island employees be returning?

At least two of those employees don't plan to return. Marckenzie Boutin had worked 7½ months as an administrative support assistant before losing his job despite a recent positive review from his supervisor . Boutin, 42, of Johnston, has since found a new job with an engineering firm and has been accepted to graduate school.

"I want to put this behind me," Boutin said via email.

Kim Smith, 43, of Scituate, who worked as an archeologist for the USDA, has taken a job with an architectural and engineering firm.

The attorneys general argued that the firings of the probationary employees were illegal. Federal employees generally serve a one-year probationary period following a hiring or a promotion to a new position.

"While federal agencies claimed, via termination letters, that these probationary employees were fired for unsatisfactory performance or conduct, the firings were clearly part of the Administration’s attempt to restructure and downsize the entire federal government.

"In the lawsuit, the coalition contends that the Administration is required to follow federal laws and regulations that govern large-scale federal 'Reductions in Force' (RIF). These critical protections ensure that personnel such as military veterans are given preference in retaining their jobs.

"When a RIF results in a layoff of 50 or more employees, the agency must generally give at least 60 days’ advance notice to state governments, so that they can provide vital 'rapid response' information, resources, and services to affected workers. The federal agencies named in the lawsuit failed to provide any advance notice to the states."

Neronha said, "These mass firings reflect a disregard for both the law and the essential role of the civil service in maintaining government stability."

In addition to the USDA, affected agencies include the Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the General Services Administration, the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Attorney generals from the following states also filed the lawsuit : Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.