A quasi-judicial board has temporarily blocked the firing of six federal employees who were terminated as the Trump administration directed agencies to oust probationary staffers — an early determination that the widespread firings may be illegal.

The order from the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) returns those employees to their positions for 45 days — allowing the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) to continue an investigation after finding the firings were likely illegal.

“The available evidence indicates that the agencies improperly used the relators’ probationary status to accomplish RIFs........

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