Supreme Court Blocks Judge’s Order to Reinstate 16,000 Federal Workers Fired by Trump

The U.S. Supreme Court halts a judge’s order to reinstate 16,000 fired federal workers, siding with the Trump administration amid ongoing litigation.

 

Washington, D.C. — April 8, 2025 — The Supreme Court has temporarily halted a California judge’s ruling that required federal agencies to reinstate nearly 16,000 probationary employees dismissed by the Trump administration, marking a key legal win for the White House as it seeks to streamline the federal workforce.

 

In a brief unsigned order, the Court sided with the administration, concluding that the nonprofits behind the lawsuit may not have legal standing. The decision relieves the federal government of immediate obligations to reinstate the affected employees while litigation continues in lower courts.

 

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the ruling, which impacts federal agencies including the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Treasury.

 

The Trump administration has aggressively pushed to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, an initiative spearheaded by Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, a newly created office with sweeping personnel oversight powers.

 

At the center of the case is U.S. District Judge William Alsup, who previously ruled from California that the employees were terminated through a flawed and legally insufficient process. He ordered their full reinstatement while the case is ongoing. However, the administration argued that Alsup overstepped his authority and intruded on executive branch powers.

 

"That is no way to run a government," said acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris, criticizing Alsup’s decision for “violating the separation of powers” by micromanaging personnel policy.

 

While the Supreme Court's order nullifies Alsup’s ruling for now, another similar case in Maryland remains active. U.S. District Judge James Bredar has issued a separate ruling requiring agencies to place affected workers on paid administrative leave rather than full reinstatement — a less intrusive measure that remains in force for 19 states and Washington, D.C.

 

The case has attracted national attention due to its scale and the involvement of high-profile plaintiffs, including labor unions like the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and advocacy groups such as the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and Main Street Alliance. However, the Supreme Court’s latest ruling applies only to the claims made by nonprofit organizations, not the unions, which may continue litigation.

 

Notably, no individual federal employees are named in the lawsuit, leaving the status of thousands of terminated workers in limbo as the courts sort through jurisdiction and procedural issues.

 

Challengers argued in court that the administration had already begun complying with the reinstatement order, a point used to downplay the urgency of Supreme Court intervention. The administration, however, countered that ongoing judicial micromanagement undermines executive authority and disrupts operational efficiency.

 

As the case progresses, the Merit Systems Protection Board, an independent federal agency, has also weighed in — issuing a ruling that separately orders the Department of Agriculture to reinstate thousands of affected employees.

 

Both legal camps have claimed partial victories, but with the Supreme Court now weighing in, the Trump administration has secured critical breathing room to continue its workforce overhaul, pending further legal battles.