The Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday means that the Trump administration may go ahead with its plans to lay off tens of thousands of federal employees.
The layoffs were halted by a California court who determined they would likely violate federal law. The administration had requested authorization to enforce an executive order dated February 11th that directed agencies to implement significant “reductions in force,” and the judges allowed its emergency appeal.
It appears that the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that it was not determining whether or not any agency’s layoff plans were lawful or whether or not any actions had been taken to put them into action. As for the downsizing initiatives, litigation over them will very certainly persist. The judges did say that for the time being, however, the executive order and the OMB memorandum that implemented it can be enforced by the administration.
Unsigned by the high court but explained in two brief paragraphs by the majority, the ruling removes an injunction that U.S. District Judge Susan Illston had ordered, preventing 21 agencies from carrying out the mass layoff orders.
Only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson voiced a disagreement on the bench. She criticized the court’s majority for its “demonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this President’s legally dubious actions in an emergency posture” and warned that President Trump is releasing a “wrecking ball” on the federal agency.
Appointed by Biden, Jackson claimed that her coworkers were unfairly drawing different conclusions from Illston’s research. At this early point in the litigation process, lesser courts have a greater grasp of the facts, Jackson remarked.
