President Donald Trump instructed the heads of federal agencies to prepare for "large-scale reductions in force" through an executive order he signed in March.

Although lower courts initially blocked Trump's plan from going forward, the Supreme Court just handed him a major win on the issue. 

Supreme Court lifts injunction issued by lower court in May

According to Breitbart, America's highest judicial body moved on Monday to overturn an injunction which was issued in May by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston.

Illston's order, which was later upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, prevented Trump from going ahead with mass layoffs of federal employees.

"The President has the authority to seek changes to executive branch agencies, but he must do so in lawful ways and, in the case of large-scale reorganizations, with the cooperation of the legislative branch," Fox News quoted Illston as writing.

"Many presidents have sought this cooperation before; many iterations of Congress have provided it," the federal judge further insisted.

Supreme Court: President's plan can go ahead while case is being litigated

However, America's highest judicial body declared that the president can go ahead despite it "not ruling on the legality of a specific reorganization plan."

BREAKING: Supreme Court *allows* the Trump administration to implement large-scale layoffs across the federal government as litigation continues

The order is 8-1, with Justice Jackson dissenting pic.twitter.com/TwZf4x0TW4

— Jacob Wheeler (@JWheelertv) July 8, 2025

NPR noted how Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a concurrence in which she pointed out that the cases underlying issues were not being adjudicated.

"The plans themselves are not before this Court, at this stage, and we thus have no occasion to consider whether they can and will be carried out consistent with the constraints of law," she wrote.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said decision was "hubristic and senseless"

Meanwhile, NPR cited a strongly-written dissent from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson that criticized her fellow justices for giving a green light even though his actions could be unlawful.

"For some reason, this Court sees fit to step in now and release the President's wrecking ball at the outset of this litigation," Jackson stated.

"In my view, this decision is not only truly unfortunate but also hubristic and senseless," the Biden-appointed jurist went on to add.

For his part, White House spokesman Harrison Fields welcomed Tuesday's ruling and told NPR that it "clearly rebukes the continued assaults on the President's constitutionally authorized executive powers."