Dear Representative,
On behalf of the 63 affiliated unions of the AFL-CIO, I write to express our strong opposition to H.R. 1526, the No Rogue Ruling Act (“NORRA”). This bill would hamper the ability of everyday people to win justice in the face of unlawful and far-reaching actions by the executive branch. It is not simply a power grab against the judiciary. It is a power grab against working people.
In February, for example, the Trump Administration unlawfully fired tens of thousands of probationary employees at wide-ranging agencies, working a wide variety of jobs across the country. They were hardworking taxpayers, men and women of all ages and races. They were of all political persuasions, education levels, and family backgrounds. They were disproportionately veterans. What they had in common was they had chosen a career in civil service and were illegally fired in the same, unlawful fashion.
Many were union members, but not all. Some had access to legal representation, while others could not afford it. Fortunately for the latter, some of these fired workers and their unions pursued action in federal court. The judge in that case ruled the firings illegal and provided nationwide injunctive relief, ordering immediate reinstatement. The injunctive relief stemmed the damage for all affected workers and their families, whether or not they were able to hire a lawyer willing to have his or her law firm blacklisted by the Trump Administration and whether or not they had a union willing to risk having their bargaining rights stripped by the Trump Administration for “fighting back.”
Under H.R. 1526, however, many thousands of these unlawfully fired workers would not receive relief. This bill would require that multiple cases be brought, in multiple district courts, and not every worker has the means to do that. Many thousands of these workers and their families would simply have to swallow the injustice, their rights violated without relief or meaningful access to any remedy. If multiple groups of these workers managed to get their suits filed, the result would be multiple, potentially inconsistent rulings, sowing even further confusion beyond what the Administration has already generated.
H.R. 1526 promises to make the administration of justice inefficient. It belies the entire DOGE project. The DOGE’s reference to “government efficiency” has always begged the question: efficient for whom? In this case, the aim is clearly not efficiency for working people or for the rule of law. A federal judge had so efficiently dispatched the Trump Administration’s unlawful firings and gave working families such immediate relief that the proponents of H.R. 1526 want to gum up that process in all future cases.
To stand up for hardworking taxpayers and their access to justice, the AFL-CIO urges you to vote no on H.R. 1526. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jody Calemine
Director, Government