A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Trump administration from carrying out mass layoffs within the Department of Education.
The injunction comes nearly two months after President Donald Trump directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure (of) the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
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A group of education groups, including the American Federation of Teachers, sued the Trump administration claiming that the shutdown of the department was illegal, and that only an act of Congress could dismantle of department. Judge Myong Joun agreed with the plaintiffs, and order the Trump administration to reinstate employees dismissed by the department.
"The supporting declarations of former Department employees, educational institutions, unions, and educators paint a stark picture of the irreparable harm that will result from financial uncertainty and delay, impeded access to vital knowledge on which students and educators rely, and loss of essential services for America’s most vulnerable student populations," Joun wrote.
The White House had argued this was not a full shutdown of the organization, and merely a reorganization–an argument Joun disagreed with.
"Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs. We’re going to follow the law and eliminate the bureaucracy responsibly by working through Congress to ensure a lawful and orderly transition," McMahon stated in March.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said these orders are lawful and she expects the administration to win on appeal.
"They've been an effort to scale down the federal workforce with care, with wisdom about what's necessary to statutorily conduct and operate agencies. And I think at the end of the day, wherever they're at, they're going to be successful when they get to the Supreme Court," she said.
The Department of Education was established in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter in an effort to make education a national priority, but Republicans have long called for its reform or elimination.
In March, McMahon announced plans to reduce the department's workforce by 50%.
