Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson of the Supreme Court has temporarily blocked an order mandating that the Trump administration disburse full Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) payments for November by Friday.

This decision delays certain payments until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit can address the administration’s request to halt the order while an appeal is pending.

Jackson’s ruling does not address the case’s core legal issues but offers the Trump administration a short-term relief, as they had sought intervention from the Supreme Court earlier that Friday evening.

“Considering the First Circuit’s statements, an administrative stay is essential to allow the First Circuit to quickly resolve the current stay motion,” Jackson explained.

Jackson acted on this urgent request due to her responsibility for emergency appeals originating 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