The Trump administration's order to offer full SNAP payments is blocked by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court temporarily blocked a federal judge's order directing the Trump administration to provide full SNAP benefits to 42 million Americans by the end of November.

• This move came hours after the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals denied the administration's emergency request to halt the order related to food stamp benefits.

• Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson pressed the appeals court to quickly rule on whether the administration is entitled to a further stay of the order while the appeals court considers its validity.

On Friday night, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked a federal judge's order directing the Trump administration to provide full SNAP benefits to 42 million Americans by the end of November.

The move came hours after the Boston-based First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals denied the administration's emergency request to halt the order, which primarily concerned food stamp benefits for low-income people.

But the appeals court also said it would soon rule on whether the administration is entitled to a stay of the order issued by Rhode Island-based U.S. District Court Judge Jack McConnell while its appeal against the order is ongoing.

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in an order siding with the administration on Friday night, pressed the First Circuit to quickly decide whether to issue a stay.

"Applicants claim that without this Court's intervention, they would have to transfer an estimated $4 billion 'by tonight' for SNAP benefits through November," Jackson wrote.

The money was to come from so-called Section 32 funds, which the Trump administration had said it did not want to use to increase partial payments of SNAP benefits made by federal authorities. Partial benefit payments will come from $4.6 billion in contingency funds set aside by Congress for that purpose.

The administration had initially planned not to pay any SNAP benefits in November due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Jackson wrote, "Given the First Circuit's representations, an administrative stay by the First Circuit is necessary to expedite the resolution of the pending stay motion."

He added that the Supreme Court's stay "will expire forty-eight hours after the First Circuit resolves the pending motion, which the First Circuit is expected to issue expeditiously."

This two-day period will give the Trump administration, or the plaintiffs in the case, time to return to the Supreme Court to challenge any decision by the First Circuit.

It is unclear to what extent Jackson's order will affect the payment of SNAP benefits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states on Friday that it would begin distributing full SNAP benefits to comply with McConnell's order while the administration appeals the ruling.

The USDA memo did not say that the administration would backtrack on that plan even if the high court blocks the order.

The Associated Press reported late Friday that more than half a dozen states "confirmed that some SNAP beneficiaries were issued their full November payments as early as Friday."

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement on Jackson's order, "This decision is a tragedy for the millions of Americans who rely on SNAP to feed their families."

James, whose state is one of the plaintiffs in another pending lawsuit seeking full payment of SNAP benefits, said, "It is shameful that the Trump administration chose to fight this case in court instead of fulfilling its responsibility to the American people."

"Every delay by the federal government is another day of real pain and suffering for children, seniors, and families."..

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