By TJ Muscaro via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
A federal judge on February 14 rejected an emergency bid by eight inspectors general fired by the Trump administration to have their jobs reinstated.
District of Columbia Judge Ana Reyes forced the inspectors general’s attorney to drop their request for a temporary restraining order in a virtual hearing, opting instead for an expedited timeline for reviewing their request for a preliminary injunction.
Reyes expressed disappointment that plaintiff’s attorney Seth Waxman filed a motion on February 12 to seek emergency relief on the same day, which would have included a refund 21 days after the dismissal, arguing that his court staff was already overwhelmed with numerous other temporary restraining order requests.
Requiring only yes or no answers, the judge asked Waxman several questions.
He assured her that the eight inspectors general were fired on January 24 without giving Congress 30 days’ notice or “substantial justification” for the termination, and that they were able to take all their personal belongings.
These former inspectors general worked in the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, State, Education, Agriculture and Labor, and the Small Business Administration.
The judge pointed out to Waxman that nothing prevented Trump from submitting a 30-day termination notice to Congress five minutes after the TRO passed, this time with a written reason for the termination.
Addressing a written complaint alleging that the plaintiffs faced reputational damage, Reyes suggested that a 30-day return to the office with a written reason why they were unfit for their job could actually cause even greater reputational damage than what was already provided.
All the public knows is that they were fired without cause, he said. Their reputations were not damaged because no reason, such as incompetence, was given, and such a termination could be considered preferable.
He also criticized Waxman for citing a similar case in his written complaint, suggesting that the government employee fired in that case acted independently of the White House while his clients worked for agencies that took direction from the presidency.
Reyes refused to even joke about the benefits of a temporary restraining order during a virtual hearing that lasted less than 13 minutes, forcing the plaintiffs to drop it.
When Waxman switched to an accelerated briefing schedule, he chastised her for rushing everyone to a TRO when the matter could have been resolved with a five-minute call with the Justice Department.
The defense attorneys, who represented the heads of the various departments where these inspectors general worked, remained silent and decided not to consider the matter.
Samantha Flom contributed to this report.
