U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions during a press conference on recent Supreme Court rulings in the briefing room at the White House on June 27, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A majority on the Court stressed that it was not ruling on the legality of specific agency cuts, only the executive order itself.
"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 Court wrote. "We express no view on the legality of any Agency RIF and Reorganization Plan produced or approved pursuant to the Executive Order and Memorandum. The District Court enjoined further implementation or approval of the plans based on its view about the illegality of the Executive Order and Memorandum, not on any assessment of the plans themselves. Those plans are not before this Court."
The district court in California had blocked the order in May, calling it an overreach. But the Supreme Court’s unsigned decision on Tuesday set aside that injunction, pending appeal. The majority said the government is "likely to succeed" in defending the legality of the order.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented forcefully, writing that "this Court sees fit to step in now and release the President’s wrecking ball at the outset of this litigation." She warned that the executive action represents a "structural overhaul that usurps Congress’s policymaking prerogatives" and accused the majority of acting prematurely in an emergency posture without fully understanding the facts.
TRUMP ADMIN ASKS SCOTUS TO ALLOW IT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PLANS TO SLASH FEDERAL WORKFORCE
Justices of the US Supreme Court pose for their official photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on October 7, 2022 (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
The court’s ruling is not a final judgment on the legality of the executive order. It only determines that implementation may proceed temporarily while appeals continue. If the Ninth Circuit upholds the injunction or the Supreme Court declines to take up the case later, the order could again be paused.
The American Federal Government Employees Union had a forceful response: "Today’s decision has dealt a serious blow to our democracy and puts services that the American people rely on in grave jeopardy. This decision does not change the simple and clear fact that reorganizing government functions and laying off federal workers en masse haphazardly without any congressional approval is not allowed by our Constitution. While we are disappointed in this decision, we will continue to fight on behalf of the communities we represent and argue this case to protect critical public services that we rely on to stay safe and healthy."
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The case is Trump v. American Federation of Government Employees.
"Today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling is another definitive victory for the President and his administration," wrote White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields in an email to Fox News Digital. "It clearly rebukes the continued assaults on the President’s constitutionally authorized executive powers by leftist judges who are trying to prevent the President from achieving government efficiency across the federal government."
Jasmine is a writer at Fox News Digital and a military spouse. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com or to @JasmineSBaehr via X.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-lets-trumps-wrecking-ball-federal-job-cuts-proceed-legal-fight-continues