The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday halted a directive requiring the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of federal workers who were dismissed during extensive workforce reductions. The court’s intervention came after the administration sought emergency relief from a California federal judge’s decision, which mandated the return of 16,000 probationary staff due to improper termination procedures under federal regulations.
The Supreme Court’s ruling means affected employees across six federal agencies will remain on paid administrative leave for the time being.
A separate legal challenge in Maryland led to an additional injunction preventing dismissals at the same six agencies and approximately twelve others. However, this ruling’s scope is limited to the 19 states and the District of Columbia that initiated legal proceedings.
The Justice Department has launched a distinct appeal against the Maryland ruling.