New Delhi, April 8 -- The US Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a lower court order that would have forced the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of federal employees terminated as part of a sweeping effort to shrink the federal workforce.

The decision came in response to an emergency appeal from the administration after a California federal judge ordered that 16,000 probationary employees be returned to work while a legal challenge to the firings proceeds. The justices' action means those employees will remain on paid administrative leave at six federal agencies for now.

Since taking office, former President Donald Trump has pushed to downsize the federal bureaucracy. According to lawsuits filed in both California and Maryland, ...