More than two dozen New York City Police officers who allegedly failed background checks will stay on the job for now.

A judge ruled Tuesday the NYPD cannot fire the officers for at least another two months, which means the 30 cops the NYPD says shouldn't have been hired will be staying on administrative duty.

Judge extends PBA's request to delay firings

Last week, the NYPD gave the rookies just 24 hours to resign or be fired, claiming they had been disqualified, then hired illegally by a rogue inspector.

Inside a proceeding closed to cameras, attorneys for the NYPD claimed the inspector charged with hiring quietly broke protocol.

Attorneys for the officers' union say the inspector's actions were well-known, and sanctioned amidst the NYPD's hiring crisis.

The department allegedly called the candidates who had been previously disqualified and urged them to come on board. The union says they each went through the process again, retaking the psych test or medical evaluation.

"They were called back. They completed what they were asked to complete," Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said.

The same day the NYPD announced the illegal hirings, the PBA filed for and was granted a temporary restraining order to block the officers' termination.

Outside Manhattan Civil Court on Tuesday, Hendry celebrated after the judge extending his request to delay the firings.

"We're grateful to the judge for taking this case serious," he said.

Most officers have not had complaints, PBA president says

One candidate who was hired allegedly didn't disclose "he had a prior history of paying prostitutes for sexual favors." Another allegedly "reported using LSD and marijuana to cope with stress."

"Where they come from, you may need to have some type of stress or depression to use marijuana, but where I come from, that's not necessarily the case," Guardian's Association President Lt. Patrick Gordon said.

Many of the officers worked in public service, from the education department to corrections. One even spent 10 years serving in the Air Force.

Hendry said the majority of those 30 officers have not been accused of any wrongdoing or had any complaints since they were hired.

"I'm only aware maybe one or two on a [Civilian Complaint Review Board] level, one or two police officers, but the rest, no, they're all in good standing," he said.

The city says the department is only trying to right a wrong, arguing these people never should have been hired in the first place.

The inspector accused of breaking protocol has been reassigned to the housing unit.

• NYPD