WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — The Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump to move ahead with his plan to close the U.S. Department of Education. This decision lets his administration lay off nearly 1,400 employees and continue to dismantle the agency.
The ruling resulted from a 6-3 vote. The court paused a lower court order that had blocked the layoffs. This order came from U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston, who said the layoffs would likely harm the department. After a federal appeals court refused to intervene, the Trump administration sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court. Now, the administration can resume its plan while the legal battle continues.
The justices in the majority did not provide a written explanation, which is typical in emergency appeals. However, the three liberal justices strongly disagreed. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, stated the ruling supports an illegal action by the president.
“When the Executive publicly announces its intent to break the law, and then carries out that promise, the Judiciary must check that lawlessness, not support it,” Sotomayor wrote.
President Trump has made shrinking the federal government a top priority since returning to the White House earlier this year. In March, he signed an executive order instructing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to start closing the department as much as the law allows.
Shortly after, the administration canceled several grant programs. It also launched a reduction-in-force that targeted 1,378 employees. These workers made up about one-third of the agency. In March, they were placed on administrative leave. Their jobs officially ended on June 9.
However, many opposed the move. A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general, two Massachusetts school districts, and teachers’ unions sued the administration. They argued that Trump and McMahon acted without Congress. They maintained that only Congress can close federal agencies.
Judge Joun sided with the plaintiffs. He said the Trump plan would prevent the department from fulfilling its legal duties. In June, he issued a preliminary injunction that blocked the layoffs and stopped McMahon from shifting programs out of the department.
Despite that ruling, the Supreme Court has now sided with the administration. This means the layoffs can continue while the case moves through appeals.
Secretary McMahon welcomed the decision. She stated the ruling confirmed the president’s authority to run federal agencies.
“Today, the Supreme Court again confirmed the obvious: the President of the United States, as the head of the Executive Branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels, administrative organization, and day-to-day operations of federal agencies,” McMahon said in a statement.
But others warned the ruling could cause lasting harm. Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward and a lawyer for the school districts, called the court’s decision damaging.
“Without explaining to the American people its reasoning, a majority of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court have dealt a devastating blow to this nation’s promise of public education for all children,” Perryman said.
Critics worry that cutting so many workers could destroy critical programs. These include teacher training, after-school care, and summer learning. They also say many states may never recover lost support. Over 20 states have already filed separate lawsuits over frozen federal education funding.
Meanwhile, Solicitor General D. John Sauer defended the administration’s actions. He claimed the layoffs were part of a broader plan to make the department more efficient. He also argued that the courts should not interfere with how the executive branch runs its agencies.
Still, attorneys for the school districts warned that the damage may be permanent. If the department is dismantled now, they say, it may never be restored.
“If the dismantling of the department is allowed to proceed now, and if respondents ultimately win at the end of this case, it will be nearly impossible to undo much of the damage,” they wrote in a court filing.
For now, the ruling marks another significant win for Trump. But the battle over the future of public education in America is far from over.
