The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday froze a lower court’s directive that would have required the Trump administration to rehire thousands of federal workers dismissed amid efforts to streamline the government workforce.
The decision temporarily halts a March 13 injunction from U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, which had ordered six federal agencies to reinstate probationary employees while ongoing legal challenges to their mass termination unfold.
In a brief and unsigned opinion, the justices determined that the nine nonprofit groups who secured the injunction lacked the legal authority to bring the case. However, the ruling didn’t affect other plaintiffs involved in the broader lawsuit.
Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented publicly, voicing concern over the decision.
The disputed dismissals involved employees at the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Treasury—all affected by Trump’s aggressive federal downsizing agenda, which he’s pursued alongside billionaire advisor Elon Musk since returning to the White House.
In a separate legal battle, a judge in Baltimore also directed federal agencies to reinstate thousands of workers terminated in 19 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., where legal challenges are similarly underway.
The administration urged the Supreme Court to nullify Alsup’s order, arguing it breached constitutional boundaries by meddling in executive personnel decisions. In a court filing, the Justice Department accused the plaintiffs of trying to "commandeer the government’s authority over its own workforce."
Alsup, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, had previously questioned the legitimacy of the firings. During hearings, he sharply criticized the administration for justifying the terminations as performance-related, which he called "dishonest." He also reprimanded officials for putting employees on paid leave instead of fully reinstating them, contrary to his ruling. The government argued this was just an initial step toward full compliance.
The San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court had declined to suspend Alsup’s order before the Supreme Court intervened.
Tuesday’s ruling marks another recent legal win for the Trump administration. On Monday, the justices narrowly upheld his use of a centuries-old wartime law to expedite deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members. On Friday, another 5-4 decision allowed the administration to move forward with major cuts to teacher training programs, part of its rollback of diversity and inclusion policies.
Additionally, the Court this week paused a separate ruling requiring the government to bring back a Salvadoran man who had been deported by mistake.