Trump's dismissals of federal staff set up a looming Supreme Court showdown

President Trump’s aggressive reshaping of the federal workforce includes firing over 25,000 probationary staff and attempting to remove hundreds of career officials by claiming constitutional removal authority. Two former immigration judges, Megan Jackler and Brandon Jaroch, filed a lawsuit after being terminated in February 2025, and the Federal Circuit has agreed to hear their case with a full panel of judges this fall.

The Merit Systems Protection Board earlier held that no entity may restrict the president’s power to remove subordinates, a view reinforced by the Supreme Court’s Slaughter decision concerning the Federal Trade Commission. Scholars argue the case could decide if civil-service laws, in place since the late 1970s, survive a broad interpretation of presidential removal power. The Justice Department has already cited the Slaughter opinion in other disputes, such as the firing of FEMA official Mary Comans, which a district judge found unlawful.

A dissent by Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned the ruling could jeopardize protections for inferior officers and rank-and-file employees. The pending litigation therefore stands as the next major test of the balance between executive authority and civil-service safeguards.