Judge Rules Trump Cannot Abolish the U.S. Department of Education

A federal appeals court has decided not to lift a judge's order that prevents President Donald Trump's administration from following through with plans to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. The court also ordered the reinstatement of employees who were laid off.

On June 4, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected the Trump administration's request to pause a lower court's decision. This decision came after several Democratic-led states, school districts, and teachers' unions urged the court to take action.

The U.S. Department of Justice wanted a quick decision from the appeals court so they could take the case to the Supreme Court if it didn't rule in their favor.

The lawsuits were filed after Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced plans in March to lay off over 1,300 employees, which would cut the department's staff by half. This announcement was made just before Trump signed an executive order to close the department, which was part of his promise to conservatives to give more control over school policy to states and local school boards.

Trump later said he wanted to move the department's student loan responsibilities to the Small Business Administration and transfer special education and nutrition services to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Overall, with the layoffs and 600 employees taking buyouts, the Education Department's staff would shrink from 4,133 to 2,183 workers. The laid-off employees were placed on administrative leave on March 21 and were told they would continue to receive pay and benefits until June 9. The administration claimed that the layoffs were necessary to improve efficiency.

However, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ruled on May 22 that the job cuts were a way for the administration to shut down the department without Congressional approval. He stated that the reduction in staff made it impossible for the department to perform its required functions.

On June 3, the Education Department informed the affected employees about the judge's ruling to comply with it. The administration also appealed the decision, stating that while Trump wants to eliminate the department, only Congress has the authority to do so, and the case revolves around employee layoffs.