Supreme Court Lifts Block on Trump’s Federal Layoff Plan

🧭 Why it matters

The ruling clears the way for President Trump to proceed with an executive order that could lead to the termination of hundreds of thousands of federal employees — a dramatic reshaping of the U.S. government workforce.

🧠 The big picture

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued an unsigned order lifting a lower court injunction that had blocked the enforcement of President Trump’s directive. The executive order calls for agency heads to initiate sweeping “reductions in force,” known as RIFs, across all federal departments.

• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
• Justice Sonia Sotomayor concurred, leaving the door open for future legal scrutiny.
• The majority did not disclose how each justice voted.

🧾 What they’re saying

Justice Sotomayor, in her concurrence, noted the legality of the executive order was not yet before the court:

“The plans themselves are not before this Court, at this stage, and we thus have no occasion to consider whether they can and will be carried out consistent with the constraints of law.”

📜 Between the lines

Trump’s February order instructed federal agencies to draft detailed strategies for “large-scale reductions,” framing it as part of a broader plan to cut government size and cost.

• The move is central to Trump’s campaign promise to “drain the swamp.”
• Legal experts warn it could gut institutional knowledge and delay essential services.

🚨 What’s next

The case now heads back to the lower courts, which will decide whether Trump’s layoff directives violate constitutional protections or federal employment laws.

⚠️ This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.