The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Donald Trump's administration to pursue mass government job cuts and the sweeping downsizing of numerous agencies, a decision that could lead to tens of thousands of layoffs while dramatically reshaping the federal bureaucracy.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to move forward with plans to downsize the federal workforce through layoffs, overturning lower courts' decisions to halt the reductions at 21 agencies.

The administration had asked the court to step in after a judge in California blocked plans for reductions in force and to reorganize a swath of departments and agencies.