The case asserts that President Trump’s Executive Order directing agencies to engage in “large-scale” reductions in force and reorganization is illegal
28 April 2025
AGU contact:
Josh Weinberg, [email protected]
WASHINGTON — AGU, the world’s largest association of Earth and space scientists, and a coalition of plaintiffs have filed a complaint in a new lawsuit today arguing that President Donald J. Trump’s February Executive Order No. 14210 directing federal agencies to engage in “large-scale” reductions in force and reorganization is illegal.
Plaintiffs assert that such a sweeping Executive Order — which would impact hundreds of thousands of federal workers — goes far beyond the authority of the President to direct, and that such a massive reorganization of federal agencies must be planned in accordance with law and approved by Congress. AGU’s role in the case will involve illustrating the extensive ways in which scientists and the public will be irreparably harmed by the execution of the President’s order, in particular through proposed mass terminations at NOAA, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, the Environmental Protectional Agency, and the National Science Foundation.
“This Executive Order is demanding layoffs on such a massive scale that they will have drastic, cascading effects on our members, the global scientific community, and the public,” said Janice R. Lachance, Interim Executive Director and CEO of AGU. “From forecasting severe weather and ensuring healthy crops to preventing uncontrollable wildfires and preparing communities for sea level rise, fully functioning federal scientific agencies are critical.”
This case is part of AGU’s ongoing efforts in the courts to challenge assaults to the federal scientific workforce. The organization joined a case in March against the Office of Personnel Management asserting that the mass termination of probationary employees was illegal. The district court in that case agreed and granted the plaintiffs’ request for an order that sent more than 16,000 federal employees back to work, before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the order. That case, AFGE, AFL-CIO v. OPM, is ongoing in the District Court, Northern District of California.
AGU is part of a coalition of plaintiffs with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and four AFGE locals, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and SEIU Local 1000, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Public Health Association, Center for Taxpayer Rights, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Common Defense, Main Street Alliance, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Northeast Organic Farming Association Inc., VoteVets, Western Watersheds Project, City and County of San Francisco, California; County of Santa Clara, California; City of Chicago, Illinois; City of Baltimore, Maryland; Harris County, Texas; and King County, Washington.
The case, AFGE v. Trump, was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Plaintiffs are represented by Altshuler Berzon LLP and co-counsels Democracy Forward Foundation, Protect Democracy Project, Public Rights Project and State Democracy Defenders Fund.
AGU (www.agu.org) is a global community supporting more than half a million advocates and professionals in Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.