The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday has granted President Donald Trump ability to fire thousands of Federal employees, which was blocked by a lower court decision that would have forced the reinstatement of the fired employees.
The ruling preserves the status quo while legal battles over the controversial firings continue.
The case—OPM, et al. v. AFGE, et al.—involved a challenge to the revival of “Schedule F,” a Trump-era executive order designed to give the president greater authority to remove certain federal employees deemed resistant to executive policies or reform efforts.
A district court in California had issued an injunction on March 13, ordering the Trump administration to rehire probationary employees terminated from six federal agencies, a move supported by several nonprofit advocacy groups.
The high court’s unsigned order stayed that injunction, with Chief Justice Roberts and the majority agreeing that the plaintiffs lacked standing to justify such broad judicial intervention.
The Court referenced the Clapper v. Amnesty International USA precedent, noting that generalized claims from advocacy groups do not meet the legal standard for emergency relief.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, arguing that the lower court’s decision should remain in effect during the ongoing legal review. Justice Jackson suggested the urgency was overstated, while Justice Sotomayor sided with the lower court’s broader interpretation of employee protections.
The Supreme Court’s stay comes after U.S. District Judge William Alsup, a Clinton appointee, ruled last month that the Trump administration must offer reinstatement to around 16,000 federal workers across six departments: Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury, and Agriculture.
Alsup accused the administration of skirting federal employment laws and misleading the court about the reasons behind the dismissals.
“It is a sad day when our government fires good employees and falsely claims it was based on performance,” Judge Alsup said in his ruling. “That’s a sham, and it undermines the integrity of our institutions.”
The Justice Department filed an emergency appeal, arguing that the lower court’s injunction overstepped its authority. Solicitor General John Sauer stressed that the Constitution grants the president control over the executive branch and foreign negotiations, and warned that if the precedent stood, district courts could effectively interfere in federal operations nationwide.
Trump criticized the ruling during comments aboard Air Force One, calling Judge Alsup’s decision “absolutely ridiculous” and a dangerous overreach of judicial power.
“This judge is trying to act like the president of the United States,” Trump said. “Some of these employees didn’t even show up to work. Some don’t exist, and now we’re supposed to pay them anyway? It’s insanity.”
A second, similar lawsuit in Maryland also resulted in a court order blocking the firings across additional agencies and states, though that ruling applies only to the 19 states and the District of Columbia that joined the case. The Justice Department is also appealing that decision separately.
While the legal battles play out, the Supreme Court’s order allows the administration to keep the affected employees on paid administrative leave for now, delaying their reinstatement as the broader constitutional questions surrounding executive authority and federal employment protections move forward.