Supreme Court Blocks Order Demanding Reinstatement of Federal Employees

The Supreme Court has blocked an order forcing the Trump administration to rehire 16,000 fired federal employees, though many others remain on payroll pending a separate legal challenge.

Quick Takes

A Supreme Court ruling prevents the Trump administration from having to reinstate over 16,000 employees who were terminated from six federal agencies.
The decision places on hold a California federal judge’s reinstatement order, challenging nonprofit organizations’ legal standing to sue.
A separate Maryland injunction still protects thousands of federal workers in 19 states and DC.
Justices Sotomayor and Jackson dissented from the majority decision.

Court Blocks California Judge’s Reinstatement Order

The Supreme Court delivered a ruling in favor of the Trump administration in its ongoing effort to downsize the federal government. The Court blocked a lower court order that required the administration to reinstate approximately 16,000 federal employees who were terminated during their probationary periods.

The Supreme Court made its decision on the basis that the non-profit organizations granted the injunction in the case did not have a legal standing to sue. However, the Court’s ruling stopped short of addressing other plaintiffs in the lawsuit, saying they “did not form the basis of the district court’s preliminary injunction.”

The original injunction came from US District Judge William Alsup in California, who had sharply criticized the administration’s actions as bypassing established legal protections for federal workers. Judge Alsup determined that the firings were improperly directed and failed to follow federal law, prompting his order for immediate reinstatement. However, the administration maintained that individual agencies, not the White House, had directed the terminations and stood by their decisions as part of a broader effort to reduce the size of government.

US Supreme Court halts reinstatement of fired federal employeeshttps://t.co/LYXKo24DwL

— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) April 8, 2025

Maryland Injunction Still Protects Thousands

Despite this ruling, many terminated federal employees remain on paid administrative leave due to a separate and still-active lawsuit in Maryland. This second legal challenge covers more federal agencies, although it only applies to employees in 19 states and the District of Columbia. These states have argued that the mass terminations would cause trouble due to increased unemployment support needs, creating a financial strain on state resources that justified judicial intervention.

The Justice Department has already filed an appeal against the Maryland order, but the Supreme Court hasn’t been asked to intervene thus far. Legal experts suggest the administration will likely seek similar relief from the Supreme Court regarding this second injunction, pointing to the California case as precedent.

Dissent and Support

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the majority decision, arguing that Judge Alsup’s reinstatement order should have remained in place while the legal issues were fully adjudicated. The Court’s conservative majority, however, found the administration’s arguments compelling enough to halt the reinstatement order immediately.

Organizations and labor unions representing the terminated employees expressed disappointment but vowed to continue their legal battle. The lawsuits claim that at least 24,000 probationary employees have been terminated since President Trump took office in January, with critics arguing that the firings are unlawful and counterproductive. Conservative figures celebrated the ruling, with judicial watchdog Tom Fitton and other prominent voices praising the decision as a necessary step toward reducing bureaucratic bloat.