The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the Trump administration’s request to proceed with plans to scale back the federal workforce.
The legal dispute centered on an executive order signed in February to downsize the federal workforce for maximum efficiency and productivity.
The order was challenged by the American Federation of Government Employees. They argued the plans violated the separation of powers.
A lower court halted Mr. Trump’s plans, but the high court’s unsigned order Tuesday lifted the blockade while the case is litigated.
“Because the Government is likely to succeed on its argument that the Executive Order and Memorandum are lawful — and because the other factors bearing on whether to grant a stay are satisfied — we grant the application,” the justice’s order said.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Biden appointee, dissented, saying the restructuring of agencies should be authorized by Congress.
“The President sharply departed from that settled practice on February 11, 2025, however, by allegedly arrogating this power to himself,” she wrote.
The district court judge who halted the layoffs and buyouts reasoned that the wide-scale workforce reduction was likely unlawful. With the injunction lifted, the administration can now slash workforces and make changes in 19 federal departments.
The case is Trump v. American Federation of Government Employees.
