President Donald Trump's administration has temporarily agreed not to fire any more staff at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to a court order issued on Friday, offering workers there an 11th-hour reprieve ahead of feared mass layoffs.

As the Supreme Court has explained, it is a “basic proposition that all orders and judgments of courts must be complied with promptly.” Courts can — and often do — step in when their rulings are defied.

As the cases progress, and judges have issued orders halting overreach on the part of Musk and Trump, a growing chorus on the right are urging them to ignore the courts. For constitutional and government scholars, this would be a fundamental step from democracy toward autocracy.

Despite recent court rulings calling for an end to the Trump administration’s sweeping pause on federal grants, numerous recipients are not getting their promised cash from the