A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from firing 19 intelligence officers at the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). These staffers were involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that President Donald Trump ordered to be shut down earlier this year.
Judge Changes Decision, Allows Appeals
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga in Virginia ruled that the employees should have the right to appeal their termination and should be considered for other roles in the intelligence community.
This ruling came after a previous decision on February 27, where the judge had denied a temporary block on the policy, stating the staffers could be reassigned instead. However, the CIA rejected this, saying they had no obligation to consider appeals or provide options for reassignment.
Lawyer Says Staffers Are Relieved
Kevin Carroll, a lawyer representing the fired staffers and a former CIA caseworker himself, welcomed the court’s decision.
“The judge decided to stop the CIA and ODNI from firing these DEI staffers unless they’re first given a chance to appeal and considered for other jobs,” Carroll said.
He also noted that while ODNI had offered to consider transfers for two of the staffers, the CIA refused to do the same.
Trump’s DEI Orders Face Legal Challenges
On January 20, President Trump signed multiple executive orders to end all DEI-related programs in the federal government. He argued that such programs replace merit and hard work with preferential treatment, which he called “divisive and dangerous.”
His DEI orders impacted hiring, federal spending, and even military procedures. They also influenced private companies, many of which started changing their DEI initiatives in response.
However, these moves have led to several lawsuits. One federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked the DEI order from being applied to federal contractors and agencies. Other challenges have been filed in California and Maryland by civil rights groups and teachers’ unions, claiming the orders violate free speech rights.
Government: No Right to Appeal CIA Firings
Government lawyers argued that, unlike other federal workers, CIA staffers cannot appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board. They stated that the CIA Director has full authority to fire employees if deemed necessary for national interest.
“There is no process to appeal this decision within the Agency,” wrote Dennis Barghaan, a senior official in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Virginia.
But lawyers for the intelligence officers strongly disagreed. They pointed out that since 1947, no CIA or national intelligence director had ever fired a group of employees unless it was due to national security concerns.
“This so-called power may not even be legal,” the lawyers said. “Such a major overreach threatens to ruin the nonpartisan nature of the Intelligence Community.”