The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration, ruling Monday that it can move forward with plans to lay off nearly 1,400 Department of Education employees.
The high court lifted a temporary injunction put in place by Boston-based federal district court Judge Myong Joun. A federal appeals court had upheld his order, the Associated Press reported.
The court did not explain its decision to overrule the lower courts, which is customary when a party applies for an emergency action.
However, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, issued an 18-page dissenting opinion.
“This case arises out of the President’s unilateral efforts to eliminate a Cabinet-level agency established by Congress nearly half a century ago: the Department of Education,” Sotomayor argued.
“Only Congress has the power to abolish the Department. The Executive’s task, by contrast, is to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,’ she added.
BREAKING: The Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration’s request to temporarily pause a district court order that would require the Department of Education to reinstate nearly 1,400 employees who were fired earlier this year.
Justice Sotomayor dissented, joined by…
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) July 14, 2025
“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,” the justice wrote.
Is Trump right to abolish the Department of Education?
In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that directed “the Secretary of Education 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.”
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon celebrated the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling.
“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 posted on social media.
“The U.S. Department of Education will now deliver on its mandate to restore excellence in American education. 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 added.
“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,” McMahon said.
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. While…
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) July 14, 2025
Monday’s ruling in favor of Trump comes after the Supreme Court last week lifted an injunction placed by a San Francisco district judge, which blocked the Trump administration from reducing the federal workforce in large numbers.
The president issued an executive order as part of his administration’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative in February, calling for agency heads to “promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIFs), consistent with applicable law.”
Last month, SCOTUS also sided with Trump, ruling 6-3 that federal district court judges do not have the authority to issue nationwide injunctions.
The president has been on a legal roll of late, after facing an unprecedented number of district court injunctions issued by liberal judges to block his policy agenda.
It’s hard to reform the federal government with an entrenched, leftist bureaucracy in place, but these rulings will help in the effort to Make America Great Again.
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