U.S. Supreme Court OKs mass firings by Trump at federal agencies

Ruling shifting balance of power with Congress in operating government is not final say in matter

The U.S. Supreme Court building. (Architect of the Capitol photo)

This is a developing story.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that President Donald Trump can carry out a mass firing of federal workers, delivering a fundamental — but temporary, for now — shift in the balance of power with Congress in terms of the structuring and funding of government.

The ruling lifted a block on the firings imposed May 22 by a San Francisco-based US district judge. The New York Times reported the Supreme Court’s order "was unsigned and did not include a vote count, which is typical in such emergency applications.

The majority’s ruling states “we express no view on the legality" of the administration’s layoff and restructuring plans, meaning the Supreme Court may get a chance to revisit that aspect of the issue. The Washington Post reported "two of the liberal justices — Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor — appeared to have joined the conservatives in allowing the administration to plan reorganizations and reductions in the workforce. Sotomayor said it was because the administration had directed agencies to operate ‘consistent with applicable law.’"

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, apparently the only justice opposed, published a dissent.

“For some reason, this Court sees fit to step in now and release the President’s wrecking ball at the outset of this litigation,” she wrote. “In my view, this decision is not only truly unfortunate but also hubristic and senseless.”

The Times noted Tuesday’s ruling is the most recent of a series of Trump administration actions before the Supreme Court, including "a major ruling on June 27, when the Supreme Court limited the ability of judges to block President Trump’s policies nationwide."

The Trump administration has announced more than 275,000 layoffs, furloughs and other job reductions since he began his second term as president, according to multiple published sources and media reports. However, many of those have been reversed, declared illegal by courts or other entities, or otherwise not taken effect.

Among the departments targeted with the most impact on Juneau are the U.S. Department of Agriculture (which oversees the U.S. Forest Service), Department of Commerce (which oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the National Weather Service), Department of Interior (which handles tribal matters) and Department of Education.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.