President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Reyes suggested that the best the court could do would be to order back pay, even as she told both parties, "I don't think anyone can contest that the removal of these people – the way that they were fired – was a violation of the law."
The preliminary injunction hearing comes more than a month after the eight fired inspectors general filed a lawsuit challenging their termination as unconstitutional. Plaintiffs asked the judge to restore them to their positions, noting in the filing, "President Trump's attempt to eliminate a crucial and longstanding source of impartial, non-partisan oversight of his administration is contrary to the rule of law."
Still, the remedies are considered a long shot – and Trump supporters have argued that the president was well within his executive branch powers to make such personnel decisions under Article II of the Constitution, Supreme Court precedent and updates to federal policy.
Ana Reyes, nominee for district court judge in Washington, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2022. (Reuters)
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Reyes, for her part, previously did not appear to be moved by the plaintiffs' bid for emergency relief.
She declined to grant their earlier request for a temporary restraining order – a tough legal test that requires plaintiffs to prove "irreparable" and immediate harm as a result of the actions – and told both parties during the hearing that, barring new or revelatory information, she is not inclined to rule in favor of plaintiffs at the larger preliminary injunction hearing.
Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/reyes-hearing-eight-fired-inspectors-general-appear-court-challenge-terminations