Judge Orders Reinstatement of AmeriCorps Staff, Uncertainty Looms
A federal judge handed AmeriCorps advocates a temporary victory in their fight to save the embattled program.
On July 7, Judge Matthew Maddox ordered the Trump Administration to reinstate 400 terminated AmeriCorps employees.
In April, the administration laid off 85% of the agency—600 employees in total—placing the majority on administrative leave.
This move was part of Trump's ongoing effort to eliminate AmeriCorps. The layoffs have left the agency inoperable.
This suit was filed by AmeriCorps Employees Union Local 2027 and only covers union members.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that gives the green light to the administration to proceed with its planned reductions in force. It is unclear if the Supreme Court decision affects Maddox's order.
These rulings follow another recent victory for AmeriCorps.
On June 5, US District Judge Deborah Boardman ordered the administration to release $400 million in AmeriCorps grant funding it had canceled in April. However, that decision only applied to the 24 Democrat-led states + DC that had filed suit.
Maddox’s decision also orders the administration to release $400 million in cancelled grant funding. However, it is unclear if this ruling only applies to the 14 nonprofit organizations that joined the union in filing suit.
Both AmeriCorps rulings are only temporary injunctions while these cases continue through the courts—a process that can take many months.
