The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to resume plans for mass firings of federal workers, a decision critics say could threaten important government services. The justices lifted a lower court order that had frozen sweeping federal layoffs known as “reductions in force” while litigation proceeded.
The ruling could result in hundreds of thousands of job losses at departments including agriculture, commerce, health and human services, state, Treasury, and veterans affairs. It overturned a 22 May ruling by District Judge Susan Illston, who had argued that “the president may broadly restructure federal agencies only when authorized by Congress”.
Democrats condemned the decision. Party strategist Antjuan Seawright said: “This rightwing activist court has proven ruling after ruling, time after time, that they are going to sing the songs and dance to the tune of Trumpism.”
