WASHINGTON (AP) — On Tuesday, the Supreme Court paved the way for President Donald Trump’s plans to downsize the federal workforce, despite warnings of potential loss of critical government services and job cuts affecting hundreds of thousands of federal employees.
The justices overturned lower court orders that had temporarily halted these cuts, which have been spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency.
In an unsigned order, the court clarified that it was not reviewing specific cuts, but rather an executive order issued by Trump and an administration directive instructing agencies to implement job reductions.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson cast the lone dissenting vote, criticizing her colleagues for their “apparent eagerness to greenlight this President’s legally questionable actions in an emergency context.” Jackson warned of significant real-world consequences, stating, “This executive action threatens mass employee terminations, widespread cancellation of federal programs and services, and the dismantling of much of the Federal Government as established by Congress.”
The high court’s decision extends Trump’s remarkable winning streak, allowing him to proceed with key aspects of his plan to reshape the federal government. The Supreme Court has frequently intervened in emergency appeals filed by the Justice Department, which argued that lower-court rulings improperly infringed on presidential authority.
The Republican president has consistently claimed that voters gave him a mandate for this work, and he appointed billionaire ally Elon Musk to lead the effort through DOGE. Musk has recently stepped down from this role.
“Today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling represents another decisive victory for the President and his administration. It firmly rebukes the ongoing attacks on the President’s constitutionally authorized executive powers by activist judges attempting to obstruct the President’s efforts to achieve government efficiency across federal agencies,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields stated.
Tens of thousands of federal workers have been terminated, left their positions through deferred resignation programs, or been placed on leave. While no official tally of job cuts exists, at least 75,000 federal employees have taken deferred resignation, and thousands of probationary workers have already been dismissed.
In May, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled that Trump’s administration needs congressional approval to make substantial reductions to the federal workforce. A panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Illston’s order in a 2-1 vote, finding that the downsizing could have far-reaching effects, including impacts on the nation’s food safety system and healthcare for veterans.
Illston directed numerous federal agencies to halt implementation of the president’s workforce executive order signed in February and a subsequent memo issued by DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management. Illston was nominated by former Democratic President Bill Clinton.
The labor unions and nonprofit groups that sued over the downsizing presented the justices with several examples of potential consequences if it were allowed to proceed, including cuts of 40 to 50 percent at several agencies. Baltimore, Chicago, and San Francisco were among the cities that also filed lawsuits.
“Today’s decision has dealt a severe blow to our democracy and puts services that the American people rely on in serious jeopardy. This ruling does not change the fundamental fact that reorganizing government functions and laying off federal workers en masse without congressional approval violates our Constitution,” the plaintiffs stated in a joint statement.
The order affects several agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Labor, Interior, State, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs. It also applies to the National Science Foundation, Small Business Administration, Social Security Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency.
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