- The Supreme Court halted a lower court’s ruling that would have reinstated thousands of probationary federal workers fired by the Trump administration. The workers were terminated earlier this year by the Office of Personnel Management as part of a broader effort to reduce the size of the federal government.
- The Court ruled 7-2 that nonprofit groups lacked standing to sue, blocking the reinstatement order.
- A decision is still pending from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit on a related case.
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The Supreme Court on Tuesday, April 8, halted a lower court’s decision to reinstate thousands of probationary federal workers fired by the Trump administration.
Earlier this year, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) terminated 16,000 employees at the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs. This move was part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to downsize the federal workforce.
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Legal challenge and court ruling
Several nonprofit groups sued, arguing the OPM firings violated federal law. Last month, Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the terminated employees. Some of those terminations were carried out under the guidance of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“No statute—anywhere, ever—has granted OPM the authority to direct the termination of employees in other agencies,” Alsup wrote in his order. “Instead, Congress’s statutory scheme grants to each agency head the authority to manage its own affairs, including the hiring and firing of employees.”
The Trump administration appealed the decision, asking that the appellate court put Alsup’s order on hold. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit denied the federal government’s request.
The Trump administration then sought intervention from the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court blocks reinstatement order
On Tuesday, in a brief, unsigned order, the justices ruled 7-2 to block Alsup’s order. The Court determined the nonprofit organizations did not have standing to sue.
“The district court’s injunction was based solely on the allegations of the nine nonprofit-organization plaintiffs in this case,” the justices stated in their order. “But under established law, those allegations are presently insufficient to support the organizations’ standing.”
Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
Last month, a federal judge in Maryland ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of terminated federal workers to their positions. The federal government has requested a stay from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, and a decision is expected soon.
