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A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to issue written statements clarifying that nearly 17,000 federal workers fired in February were not terminated for performance reasons, as originally claimed. Judge William Alsup called the justification a "total sham" and said the false narrative could damage the workers' careers. Though earlier he ordered reinstatement, that directive was paused by the Supreme Court, and he declined to issue a second reinstatement order. The lawsuit, led by the American Federation of Government Employees, alleges that the Office of Personnel Management unlawfully coordinated mass terminations. The judge emphasized that while agencies can still fire employees independently, they must correct records to reflect the real reason for these mass firings.