The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to lay off nearly 1,400 employees from the U.S. Department of Education. The decision permits the administration to resume work on reducing the department’s operations, a step that critics argue amounts to a closure of the agency.
The Court issued its ruling through the shadow docket, without explanation, and with the three liberal justices dissenting. The order pauses a lower court injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston, who wrote that the layoffs would reduce the department’s capacity to fulfill its legal responsibilities. A federal appeals court had refused to stay Joun’s ruling while the administration appealed.
President Trump, in a post on his social media platform, praised the ruling, saying it would allow his administration to begin transferring functions of the department to the states. Education Secretary Linda McMahon also welcomed the decision, stating that the president has authority over agency operations and staffing.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing in dissent with Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan, said the Court was allowing the executive branch to bypass legal limits. “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,” she wrote.
Two lawsuits, now consolidated, challenge the administration’s plan. One was filed by the Somerville and Easthampton school districts in Massachusetts, along with the American Federation of Teachers and other education groups. The other was filed by a group of 21 attorneys general. The lawsuits argue that the layoffs prevent the department from carrying out functions required by Congress.
Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, which represents the plaintiffs, criticized the Court’s action. “Without explaining to the American people its reasoning, a majority of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have dealt a blow to this nation’s promise of public education for all children,” she said.
The layoffs affect about 1,100 civil servants and 250 contractors. Since March, these employees have been on paid leave. Judge Joun’s injunction prevented their termination, though they have not been allowed to return to work. The Education Department had stated it was reviewing how to reintegrate them and asked staff to disclose other employment.
The Court’s decision is one of several recent rulings in favor of the administration’s efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. Last week, the justices permitted the administration to implement a plan to reduce the federal workforce. The Court has also previously allowed cuts to teacher-training grants.
On the same day as the ruling, over 20 states filed suit against the administration over frozen federal education funding for after-school programs and summer initiatives.
While the lawsuit over the department's dismantling continues in federal court, the Supreme Court's decision allows the administration to proceed with layoffs that could reduce the department’s ability to function. If the courts later find the plan illegal, the department's infrastructure may already be altered.
Sources:
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Associated Press
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NBC News
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U.S. District Court (Judge Myong Joun)
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Democracy Forward
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Trump social platform
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U.S. Department of Education internal communications
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AFGE Local 252
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