Appeals Court Blocks Firing of 19 Intelligence Officers

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Trump administration cannot proceed with the termination of 19 career intelligence officers who were assigned to diversity-related roles, ordering the agencies to follow their own internal procedures and provide the employees a chance to seek reassignment and appeal. The decision, issued by a divided three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, July 2, 2026, upholds a preliminary injunction first granted last year.

The court found that the Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence violated the officers' Fifth Amendment due process rights by failing to adhere to their own binding regulations. Those regulations require the agencies to attempt to reassign employees facing termination and allow them to pursue internal appeals, provided they are not being fired for having their security clearance revoked. The majority opinion, written by Circuit Judge Nicole Berner, stated that federal agencies must comply with their own established rules.

The 19 officers had been temporarily assigned to positions related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility...