Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Education Department Employee Reinstatement
Washington, D.C. — In a pivotal decision, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday granted a request from the Trump administration, pausing a lower court order mandating the reinstatement of nearly 1,400 employees laid off by the Department of Education. This comes as legal battles continue over efforts to dismantle the agency.
The decision, rendered with a 6-3 vote, lifts an injunction imposed by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun, which had blocked the mass layoffs pending further litigation. The Trump administration argues that these layoffs are part of a broader strategy to streamline the department and return its functions to state control. In a statement on Truth Social, Trump lauded the ruling as a “Major Victory to Parents and Students across the Country.”
However, the court’s three liberal justices—Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson—dissented, arguing that the judiciary should check unlawful executive actions rather than facilitate them. Sotomayor called the administration’s approach “indefensible,” asserting that it undermines the Department of Education and its capacity to fulfill statutory duties.
The mass layoffs, affecting roughly one-third of the agency’s workforce, were part of an executive order issued by Trump earlier this year. The layoffs have prompted legal action from a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general, teachers unions, and school districts, who claim that the administration’s moves lack congressional authorization and risk crippling the department’s functionalities.
In response to the injunction’s lift, lawyers for the affected school districts warned that allowing the administration to proceed could lead to irreparable damage, affecting vital financial and technical assistance crucial for schools. As litigation progresses, the question of the Executive’s authority to reorganize the Department of Education remains at the forefront.
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