US Supreme Court clears path for Trump’s federal workforce layoffs

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with sweeping federal job cuts and a large-scale restructuring of government agencies, delivering a major victory for President Donald Trump’s push to consolidate executive power and reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy.

The court issued a brief unsigned order on July 8 stating the administration was “likely to succeed” in its argument that President Donald Trump’s directives to reshape the federal workforce were legally within his authority. The ruling lifts an earlier block by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, who in May halted the layoffs pending further litigation, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The plans, originating from an executive order Trump issued in February, call on agencies to prepare for significant staff reductions across key departments including Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, State, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, among others.

This decision marks a major step forward in Trump’s long-standing goal of centralising power in the executive branch and reducing what he views as government overreach. It also follows a series of Supreme Court rulings favourable to Trump since his return to office in January, including ones supporting stricter immigration enforcement.

Judge Illston had previously ruled that Trump overstepped his constitutional authority by attempting such a broad restructuring without congressional involvement.

“As history demonstrates, the president may broadly restructure federal agencies only when authorized by Congress,” Illston wrote in her May decision.

While the July 8 ruling clears a significant legal hurdle, the Supreme Court made clear that it was not ruling on the legality of any specific agency layoff plans. Those proposals, some of which were drafted and submitted earlier this year, may still be challenged in court over issues such as union contracts, statutory limitations, and civil service protections.

The White House welcomed the ruling, calling it a “definitive victory for the president and his administration” that affirms Trump’s authority to bring “efficiency across the federal government.”

By Vugar Khalilov