On Monday, the Supreme Court granted President Donald Trump another significant victory, approving mass layoffs at the Department of Education and enabling the administration to proceed with its plans to reestablish state control over schools.
In a brief, unsigned order, the justices paused a lower court ruling that had blocked Trump’s plan indefinitely. That lower court decision is now on hold while the case plays out—meaning the layoffs can begin immediately,” CNN reported.
Within hours, the Department of Education dispatched termination notices to employees who had faced layoffs in April, only to have a judge reinstate them. CNN obtained one of the emails, which told employees they would officially be out of a job on August 1.
“The Department appreciates your service and recognizes the difficulty of the moment,” the notice read. “This RIF action is not a reflection upon your performance or conduct and is solely due to agency restructuring, as described in previous correspondence.” A copy of the Supreme Court’s order was attached.
The left wing of the court wasn’t happy. Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a fiery dissent, calling the ruling “indefensible” and claiming the majority was either “willfully blind” or “naive” to what she saw as a grave threat to the separation of powers. The other two liberal justices joined her.
Trump ordered the layoffs earlier this year, slashing the department’s workforce by 50 percent. But Biden-appointed Judge Myong Joun blocked the move, ruling the agency can’t be dismantled without Congress. That ruling came in response to a lawsuit from teachers’ unions and left-leaning education groups.
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to overturn Joun’s ruling in June, so Trump took the case to the Supreme Court—and won.
The president praised the court’s decision on Truth Social.
“The United States Supreme Court has handed a Major Victory to Parents and Students across the Country, by declaring the Trump Administration may proceed on returning the functions of the Department of Education BACK TO THE STATES,” Trump wrote. “Now, with this GREAT Supreme Court Decision, our Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, may begin this very important process.”
McMahon called the ruling a “significant win for students and families.”
“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,” she said.
McMahon added that while it was unfortunate the Supreme Court had to get involved, the department will now get back to work fulfilling its mission.
“We will carry out the reduction in force to promote efficiency and accountability and to ensure resources are directed where they matter most – to students, parents, and teachers,” she said. “As we return education to the states, this Administration will continue to perform all statutory duties while empowering families and teachers by reducing education bureaucracy.”
Judge Joun’s original ruling accused the Trump administration of trying to gut the department without authorization, writing that the planned layoffs would “likely cripple” it. He ordered the reinstatement of 1,400 employees who had been terminated.
Sotomayor echoed that same concern, accusing the administration of ignoring its legal responsibilities and trying to shut down the agency without waiting for Congress.
“Rather than wait for legislative action to begin shuttering the Department, McMahon slashed the agency’s work force in half, concededly without analyzing the effect of those terminations on the Department’s statutorily mandated functions,” Sotomayor wrote.
She claimed the court’s ruling would “unleash untold harm” by stripping away federal protections for students facing discrimination or civil rights violations.
“The majority apparently deems it more important to free the Government from paying employees it had no right to fire than to avert these very real harms while the litigation continues,” she wrote.
