Judge orders Trump admin to reinstate probationary workers fired at 6 agencies

The administration is expected to file an appeal against the ruling by U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco. 

Those plaintiffs said it violates Administrative Procedure Act requirements and congressional laws that deal with agency hiring and firing practices.

The judge earlier ruled OPM lacked the power to fire workers, including probationary employees who normally have less than a year of civil service on the job. 

Alsup appeared incredibly frustrated with the government during the hearing Thursday, saying "this is a sham" at least four times. 

He added that by not having anyone from OPM there to testify, it was preventing them from getting to the truth.

Alfonso Little, the executive vice president of a local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees, told Fox News following the hearing Thursday that he thought the judge's ruling was "outstanding."

"The judge made a very, very good determination in what was going on with the issues with the probationary employees who were working at different agencies," he said. "I just hope those people who were laid off... I hope they get their jobs back." 

Before issuing his ruling Thursday, Alsup cited a report of an employee for the U.S. Forest Service who was told at the time of her firing that she was let go based on performance, when she actually had a good performance record. 

Alsup called it a "sad, sad day" when the U.S. government would fire an employee for performance when that is a lie, adding that "it should have not been done in our country" and "it's a sham." 

In late February, Alsup said "OPM does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe," to hire or fire workers except its own, The Associated Press reported.

"AFGE is pleased with Judge Alsup's order to immediately reinstate tens of thousands of probationary federal employees who were illegally fired from their jobs by an administration hellbent on crippling federal agencies and their work on behalf of the American public," Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said following Thursday's decision. "We are grateful for these employees and the critical work they do, and AFGE will keep fighting until all federal employees who were unjustly and illegally fired are given their jobs back." 

Fox News' Michael Lundin contributed to this report.