Federal judge temporarily stops Trump admin from firing 11 intelligence officers assigned to DEI programs

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A federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from firing 11 CIA employees linked to DEI programs Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga's order delays the employees' firing for at least five days. Former CIA officer Kevin Carroll, a lawyer representing the CIA employees, filed the lawsuit on Monday, noting that the 11 officers were on temporary assignments relating to DEI initiatives and that none of them had received poor performance reviews.

The order allows Trenga more time to weigh the legal arguments on both sides of the case and is not a definitive ruling on the lawsuit.

"These people are being fired just because of an assumption that's been made that they are leftists," Carroll said in a statement.

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The 11 officials are among 51 CIA employees who were placed on administrative leave shortly after Trump gained office and signed an executive order purging DEI programs across the federal government.

The 51 officers were summoned to the visitors center, outside the agency's high-security perimeter in Langley, Virginia, and had their identification badges "seized," Carroll said.

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They were given three options that they were ordered to accept by 5 p.m. on Wednesday: retirement by Oct. 1, resignation effective on Tuesday or termination on May 20, according to copies of unclassified notices the officers were given that Reuters reviewed.

Trump's administration is facing legal challenges against many of its efforts to combat DEI initiatives as well as purge government waste.

Trump has also sought to cut funding for federal programs that aren't in line with his administration's priorities, leading to further legal battles.

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The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), working closely with Elon Musk, has also drawn a slew of lawsuits from Democrats and fired federal employees.

Reuters contributed to this report.