Topline
The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to move forward with gutting the Department of Education in the latest legal win for the White House as it seeks to effectively dismantle the department.
President Donald Trump holding up a signed executive order as he poses with U.S. Education Secretary … More
Key Facts
The order lifts a preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in May to pause layoffs of nearly 1,400 employees, with Joun ruling the changes couldn’t be made without congressional approval.
The court did not explain its decision, which is typical of emergency appeals, according to the Associated Press.
The court’s three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing the layoffs will “unleash untold harm” and accusing the majority of deeming “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.”
Trump announced in March his administration would eliminate half of the department’s 4,000 positions and placed the workers on administrative leave.
Big Number
$7 million. That’s how much it costs per month for the administration to continue paying Education employees it’s put on administrative leave, according to the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252.
What To Watch For
A complete elimination of the agency would require congressional approval, since the department was created by Congress. It’s unclear if such a move would have the votes, however, since it would require support from Democrats to pass the Senate.
Key Background
Trump has long promised to essentially shut down the Department of Education in what he claims is an effort to return jurisdiction to states. He signed an executive order in March he said was designed to “eliminate” the department, but still keep some functions, including Title I and student loans, under federal control.
Further Reading
Trump Signs Executive Order To ‘Eliminate’ Education Department—Here’s What That Means For Student Loans (Forbes)
21 Democratic Attorneys General Sue Trump Administration Over Education Department Cuts (Forbes)
Trump Says Student Loans Will Be Managed By Small Business Administration, Not Education Department (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/07/14/supreme-court-approves-trumps-department-of-education-gutting/