A federal judge restored President Donald Trump’s postponed resignation program for federal workers in his decision Wednesday.
The postponed resignation program, also known as the administration’s “Folk in the Road” offer, asked government workers to stay or leave after demanding that Trump return to office shortly after taking office. The legal group Democracy Forward has filed a lawsuit against the program on behalf of a trade union representing thousands of employees.
Massachusetts US District Judge George O’Toole handed the verdict in favor of the White House on Wednesday night. In his decision, he denied their case on that basis, writing that the plaintiffs in the case were “not directly affected by the order.”
“[T]Hey, claiming that the directive imposes them on upstream effects, including detours of resources to answer member questions about the directive, potential loss of membership, and potential harm to reputation. There is,” O’Toole wrote.
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President Donald Trump will sign an executive order at the White House Oval Office in Washington, DC on January 20th (Getty Images)
“The union does not have the direct interests required for the Fork Order, but it is challenging policies that affect others, especially executive employees. This is not sufficient.”
The judge further wrote that the court “has no jurisdiction over the subject to consider the plaintiff’s accused claim.”
“A suffering employee can bring claims through the management process,” O’Toole said. “The possibility that the union itself may be seized from this management process does not imply a lack of proper judicial review.”
In a statement to Fox News, White House spokesman Caroline Lewitt called the decision “the first of many legal victories over the president.”
“The court resolved the injunction due to lack of status,” Leavitt said. “This shows that we will not ultimately beat the will of President Trump and the 77 million Americans who supported his priorities.”
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President Donald Trump speaks at national prayer breakfast at Washington Hilton, DC (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The U.S. Personnel Management (OPM) began sending emails to more than 2 million federal private employees who offered them shopping to quit their jobs shortly after Trump took office. The offer quickly infuriated Labour leaders, with the president of the National Federation of Federal Federations (NFFE) called “Shady” and insisting that the deal should not be taken seriously.
“The offer is not bound by existing laws or policies and is not funded by Congress,” said NFFE National President Randy Irwin. “There is nothing that will hold the OPM or the White House liable for the terms of their contract.
“Federal employees will not succumb to this shady tactic. They will pressure them to quit. Civil servants will be dependent on this fake trick, and they will be dependent on their work, their agency. I’m too concerned about mission, shaking the country. To all federal employees: Don’t resign.”
The Republican Attorney General previously expressed support for Trump’s program, writing on Amicus Curie’s brief Sunday that the challenge to the constitutionality of the order “will inevitably fail.”
Massachusetts Judge George O’Toole handed the verdict in Boston on Wednesday evening in favor of the White House. (Reuters/Lauren Owen Lambert)
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“The courts should refrain from infiltrating the President’s well-established Article 2 powers to oversee and manage the federal workforce,” the filing said. “The plaintiff is trying to inject this court into a federal workforce decision made by the president and his team. The court refuses to repay the plaintiff and ensures that the president and his team can manage the federal workforce. By doing so, we can avoid raising separation of authority concerns.”
Louis Casiano and Danielle Wallace of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to andrea.margolis@fox.com.
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