A federal judge has ruled that the CIA can proceed with the firing of Dr. Terry Adirim, the agency’s director of the Center for Global Health Services. Dr. Terry Adirim had been criticized by some of President Donald Trump’s supporters for her involvement in implementing the Biden administration’s mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy for military service members.
At a hearing on May 9, 2025, U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff denied Adirim’s request for a temporary restraining order to block her dismissal. The judge also lifted an earlier stay that had delayed her firing. Adirim had argued that her termination was influenced by public attacks, particularly from Trump supporters on social media, including a post by Donald Trump Jr. that welcomed her firing.
Adirim’s lawsuit claims that Ivan Raiklin, a vocal critic of her role in the vaccine mandate, worked with activist Laura Loomer to urge former President Trump to have her fired. However, Raiklin denied these claims, and a CIA representative stated that the decision to terminate Adirim was based on multiple complaints from CIA officers regarding her conduct, unrelated to any public campaigns.
The judge ruled that the post from Trump Jr. did not provide sufficient evidence that the CIA had defamed Adirim or acted inappropriately, although he noted that his ruling did not address the underlying merits of her legal case.
