Federal Judge Restores Trump’s Deferred Resignation Plan, Dismissing Union Lawsuit Over Standing

|By Adejumo Adekunle –

In a landmark ruling, U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts has reinstated President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program for federal workers. The decision comes after Democracy Forward—a legal advocacy group representing several labor unions—filed a lawsuit challenging the program. The suit claimed the policy unfairly pressured federal employees to choose between staying in their jobs or resigning following Trump’s directive for workers to return to their offices post-inauguration.

Judge O’Toole dismissed the case on the grounds that the unions did not have a direct stake in the policy. “The unions are contesting a directive that primarily affects executive branch employees, not themselves,” he explained. He further noted that his court lacked the subject matter jurisdiction to entertain the claims, citing similar precedents where such challenges were deemed outside the court’s authority.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt hailed the decision as a significant legal victory for the Trump administration. “The court dissolved the injunction due to a lack of standing,” she stated, adding that this outcome underscores that legal challenges will not override the will of the 77 million Americans who support President Trump’s priorities.

The controversy surrounding the deferred resignation program follows an earlier initiative by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which sent buyout offers to over 2 million federal employees shortly after Trump’s inauguration. These offers, aimed at encouraging departures from government service, drew fierce criticism from labor leaders. The president of the National Federation of Federal Employees described the proposals as “shady” and cautioned workers against taking the deals at face value.