WASHINGTON, June 3 (Alliance News): Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday urged the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that blocked mass federal layoffs and the restructuring of government agencies — a key element of Trump’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, Reuters reported.
The request follows a May 22 ruling by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco, who sided with unions, nonprofit groups, and local governments that challenged the administration’s move to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIFs).
The departments affected include Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, State, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs.
In its Supreme Court filing, the Justice Department argued that controlling agency staffing is a fundamental executive power. “The Constitution does not erect a presumption against presidential control of agency staffing,” it stated, citing Article II, which outlines presidential powers.
The Supreme Court has asked the plaintiffs to respond by June 9.
President Trump had directed agencies in February to prepare for large-scale downsizing as part of his government overhaul agenda. However, Judge Illston ruled that the president overstepped his authority. “As history demonstrates, the president may broadly restructure federal agencies only when authorized by Congress,” she wrote.
Earlier, on May 9, Illston had issued a temporary injunction blocking layoffs across about 20 federal agencies and ordered the reinstatement of dismissed employees. That order was extended in her May 22 decision.
On May 30, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 ruling rejected the administration’s emergency request to lift the injunction. The court found that the government failed to prove irreparable harm and said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their case.
“The executive order at issue here far exceeds the president’s supervisory powers under the Constitution,” the appellate judges stated, calling the move “an unprecedented attempted restructuring of the federal government and its operations.”
Since Trump’s return to office in January, his administration has increasingly turned to the Supreme Court to challenge lower court decisions that have blocked several policy initiatives.
