WASHINGTON 鈥 The Supreme Court cleared the way Tuesday聽for President聽聽plans to downsize the federal workforce despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs.
The justices overrode lower court orders that temporarily froze the cuts, which were led by the聽.
The court said in an unsigned order that no specific cuts were in front of the justices, only an executive order issued by Trump and an administration directive for agencies to undertake job reductions.
闯耻蝉迟颈肠别听聽was the only dissenting vote, accusing her colleagues of a 鈥渄emonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this President鈥檚 legally dubious actions in an emergency posture.鈥
People are also reading…
Jackson warned of enormous real-world consequences. 鈥淭his executive action promises mass employee terminations, widespread cancellation of federal programs and services, and the dismantling of much of the Federal Government as Congress has created it," she wrote.

The Supreme Court is seen 聽Dec. 17 on Capitol Hill in Washington.
The high court action continued a remarkable winning streak for Trump, who the justices allowed to move forward with significant parts of his plan to remake the federal government.
The Supreme Court's intervention so far has been on the frequent emergency appeals the Justice Department filed objecting to lower-court rulings as improperly intruding on presidential authority.
The Republican president has repeatedly said voters gave him a mandate for the work, and he tapped billionaire ally聽聽to lead the charge through DOGE. Musk recently left his role.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 U.S. Supreme Court ruling is another definitive victory for the President and his administration. It clearly rebukes the continued assaults on the President鈥檚 constitutionally authorized executive powers by leftist judges who are trying to prevent the President from achieving government efficiency across the federal government,鈥 White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement.
Tens of thousands of federal workers were fired, left their jobs via deferred resignation programs or were placed on leave. There is聽, but at least 75,000 federal employees took deferred resignation and thousands of probationary workers already were let go.
In May, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found that Trump鈥檚 administration needs congressional approval to make sizable reductions to the federal workforce. By a 2-1 vote, a panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to block Illston鈥檚 order, finding that the downsizing could have broader effects, including on the nation鈥檚 food-safety system and health care for veterans.
Illston directed numerous federal agencies to halt acting on the president鈥檚聽聽signed in February and a聽聽by DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management. Illston was nominated by former Democratic President Bill Clinton.
The labor unions and nonprofit groups that sued over the downsizing offered the justices several examples of what would happen if it were allowed to take effect, including cuts of 40% to 50% at several agencies. Baltimore, Chicago and San Francisco were among cities that also sued.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 decision has dealt a serious blow to our democracy and puts services that the American people rely on in grave jeopardy. This decision does not change the simple and clear fact that reorganizing government functions and laying off federal workers en masse haphazardly without any congressional approval is not allowed by our Constitution," the parties that sued said in a joint statement.
Among the agencies affected by the order are the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Labor, the Interior, State, the Treasury and Veterans Affairs. It also applies to the National Science Foundation, Small Business Association, Social Security Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.
The case now will continue in Illston's court.
Photos: Elon Musk saw turbulent time in US politics

FILE - Elon Musk reacts as President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - Elon Musk gestures as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - Elon Musk, center, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk as his son X 脝 A-Xii looks on as they arrive on Marine One at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump, left, and Elon Musk depart the White House to board Marine One en route to New Jersey, March 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

FILE - In this picture taken through a window, President-elect Donald Trump, from left, Trump's pick for the planned Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance attend the NCAA college football game between Army and Navy at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

FILE - Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw he received from Argentina's President Javier Milei, right, as they arrive to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - Elon Musk carries his son X 脝 A-Xii as they arrives on Air Force One with President Donald Trump, not pictured, at Miami International Airport, April 12, 2025, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - Elon Musk speaks at a town hall, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)

FILE - Elon Musk, left, shakes hands with President Donald Trump at the finals for the NCAA wrestling championship, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - Elon Musk flashes his t-shirt that reads "DOGE" to the media as he walks on South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - Elon Musk, departs a lunch between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House, March 11, 2025, in Washington. (Pool via AP, File)

FILE - Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk watch during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool, File)

Elon Musk attends news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of Elon Musk during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

FILE - Former first lady Melania Trump greets Elon Musk before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, claps as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk prepares to depart after speaking at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - Elon Musk jumps on the stage as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - President-elect Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk explains the operations ahead of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, Nov. 19, 2024, in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP, File)

FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, left, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)