A federal judge on Thursday ruled that two of America's marquee intelligence agencies could move forward for now with the dismissal of 19 intelligence officers who worked in some capacity on DEI initiatives.
U.S. Judge Anthony Trenga, a George W. Bush-era appointee, denied a bid by the intelligence officers to temporarily halt their dismissal from the Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ruling that leaders of those agencies have broad discretion to hire and fire who they please.
Trenga's order paves the way for CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to dismiss dozens of intelligence officers over their past work on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs within the agencies, including those involved in recruitment and human resources.
Kevin Carroll, an attorney for the plaintiffs, had argued that the officers "simply followed congressional mandates and a previous President's orders regarding DEIA" and that the new administration lacked authority to dismiss them under those terms.
Several of the intelligence officers had worked only part-time on DEI initiatives. In at least one case, a newly onboarded officer was told she was going to be assigned to work on a DEI program and was dismissed before she had even begun.
Carroll sought a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the administration from firing those 51 officials. Trenga denied that bid Thursday, but the case will continue to be litigated.
-ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman
