Supreme Court stays order reinstating fired federal workers

Driving the news: The justices blocked an order from a California judge for the administration to reinstate 16,000 probationary employees while a lawsuit plays out.

• The Supreme Court's order means that employees in the departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs will remain on paid administrative leave for now.
• It's the third time in less than a week that the court has sided with the Trump administration against lower courts.

What they're saying: "Today's order by the U.S. Supreme Court is deeply disappointing but is only a momentary pause in our efforts to enforce the trial court's orders and hold the federal government accountable," the American Federation of Government Employees, a union representing a coalition of federal workers, said in a statement.

Zoom out: Federal workers have filed numerous lawsuits against the government, though this is the first mass-firing case to reach the high court.

• The lawsuit claims that at least 24,000 probationary employees have been fired, though the Trump administration has not confirmed that figure.