The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major victory for President Donald Trump on Tuesday, overruling a Clinton-appointed judge and greenlighting mass layoffs and deep restructuring across the federal government.
In an 8–1 decision, the Court struck down District Judge Susan Illston’s May 22 restraining order, which had blocked Trump’s sweeping Executive Order to reduce the size and scope of the administrative state. Only Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
Clinton-Appointed Judge Tried to Block Trump’s Overhaul
Judge Illston, appointed by Bill Clinton, issued her now-defunct ruling in response to a lawsuit from the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of Government Employees — both left-wing public sector unions desperate to protect their grip on bloated federal agencies.
Her outrageous claim? That the President of the United States needs Congress’ permission to restructure agencies that report to him.
“To make large-scale overhauls of federal agencies, any president must enlist the help of Congress,” she scolded.
Incredibly, she even quoted anonymous “conservative former officials” who argued that presidential authority should be limited — despite the fact that the Executive Branch is constitutionally under the president’s command.
Trump’s Order: Cut the Waste, Fire the Bureaucrats
President Trump signed his “Big Beautiful Bureaucracy Reform Order” in February, directing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to immediately:
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Eliminate redundant programs
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Close outdated and unnecessary offices
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Launch Reduction-in-Force (RIF) notices across at least 20 federal agencies
The goal? Drain the swamp — for real this time.
Agencies targeted for cuts include:
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Department of Agriculture
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Department of Commerce
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Department of Health and Human Services
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Department of State
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Department of the Treasury
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Department of Veterans Affairs
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Plus over a dozen more
SCOTUS: Trump Can Govern His Own Branch
The Supreme Court ruling makes it crystal clear: the president has full authority to restructure the Executive Branch — including issuing layoffs and streamlining operations.
The High Court’s decision effectively shuts down Judge Illston’s restraining order and allows thousands of job cuts to move forward immediately.
