A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, marking a significant legal setback for the administration’s education policy changes.
On Thursday, Judge Myong Joun of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction preventing the administration from laying off nearly half of the department’s workforce. Appointed by former President Joe Biden, Judge Joun stated that the administration’s true intention is “to effectively dismantle the department without an authorizing statute.”
“The massive reduction in staff has made it effectively impossible for the department to carry out its statutorily mandated functions,” Judge Joun wrote in the ruling. “This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the department’s employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the department becomes a shell of itself.”
The Department of Justice defended the administration’s actions, arguing that the layoffs were a lawful effort to streamline operations and eliminate bureaucratic inefficiencies while maintaining the department’s mission. However, the judge countered that the cuts were having the opposite effect, hindering the department’s ability to function effectively.
The injunction also prevents the Department of Education from transferring the management of federal student loans to the Small Business Administration (SBA), a move that was part of the administration’s broader restructuring plans.
President Donald Trump has long criticized the Department of Education, asserting that despite significant federal investment, the quality of education in the United States has not improved as expected. In March, he signed an executive order to formally begin the process of dismantling the department, emphasizing a desire to return control of education to the states.
The department had already begun large-scale layoffs, with plans to cut nearly half of its 4,000 employees, according to earlier reports.
This court ruling represents the first time a federal court has declared the administration’s extensive changes to the department unlawful, setting the stage for a potential legal battle over the future of federal involvement in education.
