Overview

• The Supreme Court stayed Judge Susan Illston’s May injunction that halted “reductions in force” for over 20 federal agencies, allowing cuts to resume under President Trump’s February executive order.
• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued the lone dissent, warning the decision risks dismantling Congress’s authority over agency structures and threatening critical public services.
• The unsigned majority order holds only that the administration is likely to prevail on its executive power argument and does not decide the legality of specific reorganization or layoff plans.
• The Department of Government Efficiency resumes oversight of workforce downsizing after Elon Musk’s departure from the agency at the end of May.
• Labor unions, local governments and nonprofits are pressing individual challenges in district and appellate courts, arguing that sweeping staffing cuts require congressional approval.