Overview

• The Supreme Court issued unsigned emergency orders on July 8 and July 14 that remove stays on mass layoffs at 17 agencies and the Department of Education.
• In a 6–3 vote, the conservative majority allowed the DOE’s 1,378-employee Reduction in Force plan to proceed, drawing dissents warning of separation-of-powers risks.
• The State Department will dismiss 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers under accelerated RIF guidelines, with waivers cutting notice periods to as few as 30 days.
• Lower courts continue to hear appeals from Democratic attorneys general, school districts and unions challenging the president’s unilateral authority to reshape federal agencies.
• Critics say the cuts threaten education funding, civil rights enforcement and core services, while the administration defends its actions as lawful executive management.