The Trump administration has withdrawn its emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging a lower court order that blocked mass federal workforce cuts, opting instead to pursue relief through the Ninth Circuit—with the option to escalate back to the high court if necessary.
The Supreme Court on May 27 formally withdrew the emergency appeal at the Trump administration’s request, following a May 23 letter from Solicitor General John Sauer stating that the government would instead prefer to challenge the lower court’s ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The shift came after a federal judge upgraded a temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction, prompting the administration to adjust its legal approach that gives it the option to return to the high court later.