WASHINGTON DC — A federal judge ruled in September that the firing of federal probationary employees was unlawful, following a survey of more than 300 such workers that found 95% reported ongoing mental health effects. The judge, however, declined to order their reinstatement, citing concerns the Supreme Court might overrule such relief.

The survey, which included respondents from 43 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands who had worked across 12 federal departments and 15 agencies, revealed that nearly half reported PTSD-like symptoms and a quarter began taking new medications to manage mental health issues. As of January 31, one in five remained unemployed, and of those who found new jobs, 49% earned less than in their federal roles. Only about 11% secured another federal position.

Brier Ryver, a former park ranger at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, was fired during her probationary period, temporarily reinstated in March 2025, and fired again in May. “I love that job, so I went back to it, but the instability was very apparent,” Ryver said. “These unlawful terminations that should have never happened in the first place have had deep personal impacts,” she added, noting she continues to experience PTSD-like symptoms that affect her ability to work.

Christa Reynolds, a former program analyst at the National Institutes of Health who helped conduct the survey, said she had received strong performance reviews and a departmental award before her dismissal. “I felt like I was doing really well. I got an award from my department, I got really good performance reviews,” she said. “Then just like out of nowhere, this illegal firing took place.” She criticized a reported private 2024 remark by Russell Vought, lead architect of Project 2025, who allegedly said, “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected.” “It just seems like a terrible thing to say,” she said. “You’re targeting people who have dedicated their careers to helping the country.”

Dr. Whitney Behr, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was fired in February 2025 while attending a work training event. She immediately moved out of her apartment and relocated to live with family. Though temporarily reinstated, she anticipated being fired again and accepted a job in the U.K. by May 2025. “There are a lot of PhD-level scientists that the government lost,” Behr said. “There are species going extinct right now and there’s just nothing we can do about it. There are projects that were paid for that are not getting completed.”