SCOTUS Affirms Legitimacy of Trump Administration’s Dismissal of 16,000 Federal Workers – One America News Network
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
4:39 PM – Tuesday, April 8, 2025
The Supreme Court overturned one of two lower court rulings that had blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate approximately 16,000 federal probationary employees, marking a significant victory for the GOP administration.
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Nevertheless, the other injunction remains in effect, as it has not yet been reviewed by the Supreme Court.
The high court issued an emergency order staying a federal judge’s ruling in California that mandated the rehiring of employees from six government departments: Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.
In legal terminology, “stayed” means that a court order temporarily suspends a legal proceeding or the enforcement of a judgment, allowing for further examination or action.
The Supreme Court also determined that nonprofit organizations challenging the mass firings did not have standing. Thus, employees from these six agencies will remain on paid administrative leave for the time being.
In the meantime, a related order from a federal judge in Maryland is still active in 19 states and the District of Columbia but has yet to receive any response from the Supreme Court.
“The [California] District Court’s injunction was based solely on the claims made by nine nonprofit organizations involved in this case. However, according to established law, these claims currently do not meet the threshold for organizational standing,” stated the unsigned order.
“This ruling does not address the claims made by other plaintiffs, which were not the basis for the District Court’s initial injunction.”
Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, both known for their liberal stances, expressed that they would have supported the lower court’s decision. Jackson argued that the administration did not demonstrate an immediate need for the Supreme Court’s intervention, though Sotomayor did not provide any elaboration.
Last month, U.S. District Judge William Alsup, appointed by former Democrat President Bill Clinton, characterized the mass terminations as a “sham,” claiming they were unlawfully executed by the interim director and the Office of Personnel Management.
“It is disheartening when our government would terminate a number of competent employees and assert that it was due to performance when they know full well that’s false,” Alsup previously remarked.
The lawsuit, initiated by a coalition of public sector unions and various organizations, did not pinpoint any individual employees who had been dismissed.
“There is no doubt that thousands of public service employees were unlawfully dismissed in an attempt to weaken federal agencies and the essential programs they provide to millions of Americans daily,” the plaintiffs stated on Tuesday.
“The U.S. Supreme Court’s order today is profoundly disappointing but represents only a temporary setback in our efforts to enforce the lower court’s rulings and hold the federal government accountable,” they added.
In the Maryland case, U.S. District Judge James Bredar of Baltimore, appointed by former Democrat President Barack Obama, contended that the Trump administration failed to adhere to regulations that require advance notice be given to states affected by the substantial federal workforce cuts.
The complaints allege that since Trump assumed office on January 20th, at least 24,000 probationary employees have been dismissed, although the government has not confirmed this figure.
Conservative voices on social media expressed their reactions to the recent developments from the U.S. Supreme Court.
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