The Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration’s request to lift a lower court injunction that had blocked the mass firing of nearly 1,400 Department of Education employees, clearing the way for President Donald Trump to continue his efforts to dismantle the federal agency.
The decision, which appeared to split 6-3 along ideological lines, allows the administration to proceed with layoffs that would slash the Education Department’s workforce by approximately half while litigation continues in lower courts. The ruling marks a significant victory for Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate the Department of Education and return educational authority to the states.
On March 11, 2025, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced a “reduction in force,” eliminating nearly 50% of the department’s workforce, cutting staff from 4,133 to 2,183 employees. McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, described the mass terminations as “the first step on the road to a total shutdown” of the department.
The firings eliminated entire offices, including the Office of English Language Acquisition, most of the Federal Student Aid office responsible for certifying schools, and seven of 12 regional divisions of the Office of Civil Rights. President Trump formalized his directive on March 20, 2025, by signing Executive Order No. 14242, instructing McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.”
A coalition of 20 Democratic-led states, along with school districts and teachers’ unions, challenged the administration’s actions, arguing they violated the Constitution’s separation of powers and the Take Care Clause. The plaintiffs contended that the mass firings effectively dismantled the department and prevented it from carrying out statutorily mandated functions.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Massachusetts granted a preliminary injunction in May 2025, finding that “the record abundantly reveals that Defendants’ true intention is to effectively dismantle the Department without an authorizing statute”. The judge ordered the reinstatement of fired employees and blocked the administration from transferring department functions to other agencies.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the injunction, noting that the government failed to address the district court’s findings about the “disabling impact” of the workforce reductions on the department’s statutory functions.
The Department of Education plays a crucial role in the nation’s education system, administering over $120 billion annually in federal student aid to more than 13 million students. The agency also oversees federal funding for K-12 education, special education services for 7 million students with disabilities, and enforcement of civil rights laws in schools.
Court filings detailed immediate impacts from the workforce reductions, including delays in federal funding disbursements to schools and certification backlogs that have forced colleges to turn away students eligible for federal financial aid.
The administration has announced plans to transfer key functions to other agencies, including moving the $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration and special education services to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor penned a scathing 19-page dissent, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, calling the majority’s decision “indefensible.”
“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 argued that the ruling “hands the Executive the power to repeal statutes by firing all those necessary to carry them out.”
Secretary McMahon celebrated the decision, stating that “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”.
However, critics argue the administration is attempting to circumvent Congress’s constitutional role in creating and abolishing federal agencies. While Trump has acknowledged that fully eliminating the Department of Education would require congressional action, the current Republican majority in Congress lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster in the Senate.
The case will now return to the First Circuit Court of Appeals for further consideration, with the possibility of eventually reaching the Supreme Court again for a final ruling on the merits. Meanwhile, the administration can continue implementing its workforce reductions and preparing to transfer department functions to other agencies.
