In March, Trump issued an executive order aimed at eliminating the Education Department, which he promised to do during the campaign. McMahon had already begun cutting the department’s headcount by roughly half, through a combination of buyouts and planned layoffs.

The majority did not explain its decision in the brief, unsigned order. The court's three liberal justices opposed the order. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the majority handed Trump the power to repeal laws passed by Congress “by firing all those necessary to carry them out.”

"The President must take care that the laws are faithfully executed, not set out to dismantle them," Sotomayor wrote.

After a federal judge in Los Angeles barred “roving patrols” by immigration agents in seven California counties, the Trump administration asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to resume operations that lawyers for the state have argued are unconstitutional.

But a May 22 move by the Supreme Court may signal the end of the NLRB’s independence, say labor leaders, and transform the agency into an extension of the White House. In turn, they warn, President Donald Trump could use the board to reward friends and punish enemies.

The Department of Justice on Monday urged the Supreme Court to turn away an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence.