US Supreme Court halts order requiring Trump administration to reinstate 16,000 fired federal workers

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a lower court order that would have forced the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of federal employees terminated as part of a sweeping effort to shrink the federal workforce.

The decision came in response to an appeal from the administration after a California federal judge ordered that 16,000 probationary employees be returned to work while a legal challenge to the firings proceeds. The justices’ action means those employees will remain on paid administrative leave at six federal agencies for now.

Mass firings under scrutiny

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has pushed to downsize the federal bureaucracy. According to lawsuits filed in both California and Maryland, at least 24,000 probationary federal employees have been let go, though the administration has not confirmed the number.

The firings have drawn legal challenges from labor unions and nonprofit groups, who argue that the dismissals violated federal employment laws and bypassed required procedures.

Judge: “appalled” by firings

US District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, who issued the blocked order, ruled that the terminations were improperly directed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and its acting director. He ordered the rehiring of workers at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and the Treasury.

Alsup criticised the administration for what he described as an effort to sidestep employee protections. He noted that many workers received positive performance evaluations shortly before being terminated.