U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that probationary workers, typically those with less than two years on the job, should be reinstated at the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior and the Treasury.

Few details were clear about how the sweeping cuts will be carried out, as the Trump administration prepared to work with agencies and DOGE to finalize plans.

Widespread confusion and fear rippled through the federal workforce Thursday as federal agencies faced a key deadline in President Donald Trump’s push to drastically downsize the government.