BREAKING: Supreme Court allows Trump administration to implement widespread Education Department layoffs
A federal judge had previously blocked the plan, warning it could effectively dismantle the agency without congressional consent.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to proceed with sweeping layoffs at the Department of Education, overturning a lower court decision that had temporarily blocked the move.
In a brief, unsigned order, the court's conservative majority granted an emergency request from the administration to lift the injunction. The decision came without any explanation, as is typical in such emergency rulings.
All three liberal justices dissented. Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a forceful opinion condemning the ruling.
“When the Executive publicly announces its intent to break the law, and then executes on that promise, it is the Judiciary’s duty to check that lawlessness, not expedite it,” Sotomayor wrote.
She said the court’s conservative majority was “either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naive,” and warned that the decision posed a serious threat to the Constitution’s separation of powers.
“The Court rewards clear defiance of the Constitution,” she added.
The case is separate from another high-profile ruling just last week, when the Supreme Court permitted the Trump administration to move forward with layoffs across multiple federal agencies.
At issue in the Education Department case is a May 22 ruling by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Massachusetts. In that decision, Joun found that the administration appeared to be attempting to dismantle the department entirely, without legislative approval.
“The record reveals that the defendants’ true intention is to effectively dismantle the department without an authorizing statute,” Joun wrote.
Since taking office earlier this year, President Donald Trump has taken a hard line on reducing the federal bureaucracy, pushing for significant cuts to government agencies. Critics say the moves exceed the president’s authority and undermine Congress, which created and funds those agencies.
Shortly after assuming office, Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.”
Education Secretary Linda McMahon followed up with a directive outlining large-scale layoffs. In a memo to employees, she described her long-term goal as shutting the department down — a move that would require congressional action.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued in court filings that Judge Joun’s order infringed on the president’s authority to manage executive branch agencies. He also said the plaintiffs — which include states, school districts, and public employee unions — lacked standing to bring the case.
Sauer said the reduction in force, which affects 1,378 Education Department employees, was never intended to eliminate the department in full, despite calls from some Republicans to do so.
“Only Congress can do that,” Sauer acknowledged.
In response, New York Attorney General Letitia James argued that the layoffs were unlawful and unconstitutional. She said the administration's actions were “arbitrary and capricious,” and disregarded legal obligations to maintain essential functions within the department.
“The policy improperly eliminated or decimated teams that perform statutorily mandated tasks without considering, much less providing for, alternate mechanisms by which such duties can be satisfied,” James wrote in her brief.
She also contended that the move violated laws restricting the Secretary of Education from reorganizing or abolishing functions that Congress has explicitly mandated.
The case marks another flashpoint in the ongoing battle between the Trump administration and Democratic-led states and advocacy groups that have challenged the president’s efforts to reshape the federal government.
Swear it feels like they’re just running with their shoes untied. 😩
They need an uneducated populace. Find a protest for July 17th and hit the streets. Get involved, stay informed, and take daily action, in ways large and small, to oppose this criminal, unconstitutional, illegal regime and the illegitimate Robert's court!