TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Supreme Court of the United States has lifted the temporary ban on President Donald Trump's order to carry out mass layoffs in federal agencies. The decision on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, clears the way for the Trump administration to continue its bureaucratic downsizing as planned since the beginning of his term.
The unsigned decision stated that Trump's February 2025 executive order, which directed federal agencies to develop plans for a reduction in force (RIF), is likely lawful.
However, the Court has emphasized that it has not yet determined the legality of specific plans from each agency.
"We express no view on the legality of any Agency RIF and Reorganization Plan produced or approved pursuant to the Executive Order and Memorandum," the Court's decision stated as quoted from The Hill.
This decision reverses the ruling of District Judge Susan Illston of San Francisco, who temporarily stopped the layoff efforts in more than a dozen federal departments and agencies on May 22.
Illston, appointed by President Bill Clinton, said Trump's executive order likely violates the law and should have received approval from the U.S. Congress.
Dissenting Opinions within the Court
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson strongly opposed this decision. "In my view, this was the wrong decision at the wrong moment, especially given what little this Court knows about what is actually happening on the ground," wrote Jackson.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, although agreeing with some of Jackson's concerns, supported the Court's decision at this early stage. "The plans themselves are not before this Court, at this stage, and we thus have no occasion to consider whether they can and will be carried out consistent with the constraints of law," she said.
Lawsuits from Unions and NGOs
The previous ban came after lawsuits from labor unions, advocacy organizations, and local governments. They asked the Court to uphold the ban, arguing that hasty reorganization would be difficult to remedy if found to be illegal.
"There will be no way to unscramble that egg: If the courts ultimately deem the President to have overstepped his authority and intruded upon that of Congress, as a practical matter there will be no way to go back in time to restore those agencies, functions, and services," wrote the plaintiffs' legal counsel in court documents.
Trump and His Ambitions on Efficiency
According to CBS News, Trump has been downsizing the government since returning to the White House. He formed an efficiency team named DOGE led by Elon Musk. The government also began dismantling agencies such as USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
In February, Trump issued an executive order requiring agencies to develop plans for massive layoffs. Several department heads have already begun implementing layoffs since the beginning of the year, and thousands of federal employees have lost their jobs.
Other agencies plan to make significant reductions in the coming months.
Previously, in April, the Court also allowed the Trump administration to dismiss thousands of probational employees who have been working for one to two years despite objections from Justices Jackson and Sotomayor.
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