A federal appeals court has ruled to keep a freeze on mass firings of federal employees ordered by President Donald Trump, marking a significant legal setback for the administration’s efforts to drastically reduce the size of the federal workforce.
In a 2-1 decision issued on Friday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld an earlier injunction by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston that temporarily halted implementation of Trump’s executive order directing large-scale staffing cuts across federal agencies.
“The Executive Order at issue here far exceeds the President’s supervisory powers under the Constitution,” the court wrote in its opinion. While acknowledging the president’s authority to remove appointed agency officials, the court concluded that the sweeping order intruded upon congressional powers and lacked legal justification.
President Trump signed the executive order in February, calling for “large-scale reductions” in federal personnel as part of a broader plan to curb government spending. The initiative has been spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), led in part by billionaire Elon Musk, whom Trump appointed to help lead reform efforts. The White House claimed tens of thousands of federal employees had already been terminated, accepted buyouts, or were placed on leave since the order was issued.
Critics quickly challenged the move in court. A coalition of federal employee unions, non-profit organizations, and local governments filed a lawsuit arguing that the order bypassed Congress and violated long-established employment protections.
Judge Illston sided with the plaintiffs earlier this month, placing a temporary block on the firings. In her ruling, she questioned whether such a drastic reorganization of the federal workforce could be enacted without legislative approval.
The Trump administration appealed that decision and sought an emergency stay to resume its personnel cuts. With Friday’s ruling denying that request, the White House indicated it may escalate the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“A single judge is attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch,” the administration said in a statement released to U.S. media.
The case could set a precedent for the limits of presidential authority over federal employment and the balance of power between the Executive Branch and Congress. For now, however, the effort to downsize the federal workforce remains on hold.
