In a recent development, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has temporarily suspended a directive that mandated the Trump administration to complete the full Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) payments for November by Friday.

This decision by Justice Jackson delays some of these payments while the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit deliberates over the administration’s request to halt the order during the appeals process.

Importantly, this ruling does not address the fundamental legal issues of the case. However, it does offer a temporary respite for the Trump administration, which sought intervention from the Supreme Court earlier on Friday evening.

In her statement, Justice Jackson noted, “Considering the First Circuit’s comments, an administrative stay is necessary to allow for the swift resolution of the pending stay motion by the First Circuit.”

Justice Jackson was responsible for this immediate decision as she routinely handles emergency appeals from the First Circuit.

“Our attorneys will not stop fighting, day and night, to defend and advance President Trump’s agenda,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on the social platform X.

SNAP provides roughly 42 million people with grocery assistance, and the program’s funding lapse has become one of the most visible signs of the government shutdown as it stretches into a sixth week. 

Cities and private groups sued the administration as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the benefit would be cut off starting in November, the first time the program has dried up completely. 

U.S. District Judge John McConnell initially ruled the administration needed to, at minimum, deplete a $5 billion SNAP contingency fund, rejecting arguments that it was only intended for hurricanes and other unforeseen emergencies. 

But it is not enough to cover the full November benefits, and McConnell said partial payments would only be lawful if they could be provided expeditiously. States and the Trump administration have acknowledged the recalculations would likely spark weekslong delays. 

So on Thursday, McConnell ruled the administration needed to move roughly $4 billion from child nutrition programs to fund the remaining gap for the November payments, sparking the administration’s last-minute appeal ahead of Friday’s deadline. 

“If allowed to stand, this decision will metastasize and sow further shutdown chaos,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote of the lower ruling. 

A three-judge panel on the 1st Circuit declined to immediately intervene earlier Friday evening. 

By the time the administration reached the Supreme Court, the USDA had already sent a letter to regional SNAP directors indicating it was working to comply and process the payments.

Updated at 9:48 p.m. EST