The U.S. Supreme Court delivered another significant win for President Donald Trump on Tuesday, clearing the way for his executive order aimed at dramatically downsizing the federal government through extensive layoffs across multiple agencies.
In an unsigned decision, the justices overturned a lower court ruling that had blocked the president’s February 13 directive calling for “large-scale reductions in force.” The injunction had been issued by Judge Susan Illston, a Clinton appointee in the Northern District of California. However, the Supreme Court said Illston’s decision relied on her own interpretation of the order’s legality rather than on the actual reorganization plans — which, the justices noted, had not even been presented to the court, according to The New York Post.
“Given that the Government is likely to prevail on its assertion that the Executive Order and Memorandum are lawful — and considering that the other factors relevant to granting a stay are met — we approve the application,” the Court wrote.
Even Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the Court’s most liberal members, agreed with the majority in granting the stay. She emphasized, however, that her concurrence was limited to procedural grounds and should not be interpreted as support for the administration’s downsizing initiative.
“I concur with the Court’s stay because it allows the District Court to address those issues initially,” Sotomayor wrote. “The plans themselves are not currently before this Court at this time.”
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the lone dissent, warning that allowing the order to advance could trigger “mass employee terminations, widespread cancellation of federal programs and services, and the dismantling of much of the Federal Government as established by Congress.” Jackson argued that Trump must obtain congressional authorization before attempting such sweeping structural changes.
“According to our Constitution, Congress possesses the authority to create administrative agencies and define their functions,” she wrote.
The majority, however, sided with the administration, concluding that the president was acting within his legal authority to begin implementing his reorganization strategy.
The executive order is part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to reduce the size of government and improve operational efficiency. Oversight of the transition has been handled by the Department of Government Efficiency — a newly established entity previously led by Elon Musk.
Labor unions and progressive advocacy groups had filed lawsuits seeking to halt the plan, arguing it would devastate staffing and operations at critical federal agencies including Agriculture, Energy, Labor, Interior, Treasury, State, Veterans Affairs, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the Supreme Court’s decision, writing on X: “Today, the Supreme Court prevented lawless lower courts from limiting President Trump’s power over federal personnel — yet another Supreme Court triumph thanks to [Justice Department] lawyers.”
“Now, federal agencies can achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency,” she added.
The ruling extends what has been a remarkably successful two-month stretch for President Trump at the Supreme Court.
In June, the Court agreed to hear a Republican challenge to federal campaign finance restrictions that limit how much political parties can spend on behalf of individual candidates. The case, National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, was brought by the NRSC, the NRCC, and two GOP Senate candidates from that election cycle — including current Vice President JD Vance.
At issue is whether federal spending caps placed on political parties violate First Amendment protections by restricting their ability to support candidates.
Petitioners have urged the Court to take up the case, arguing that the limitations “significantly hinder political party committees from exercising their First Amendment rights: to fully associate with and advocate for their candidates for federal office.”
The story originally appeared on [Link].
