SCOTUS Clears Path to Downsize Education Department

The decision revives Trump’s plan to restructure the agency, slashing its workforce and shifting responsibilities elsewhere.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon, via X

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The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to move forward with mass layoffs at the Department of Education, lifting a lower-court injunction that had paused the firings.

The unsigned order, issued by the court’s conservative majority, didn’t provide an explanation - standard in emergency appeals - but it marks a major win for Trump’s long-stated goal of eliminating the agency altogether. (WSJ)

Administration Says They’re Streamlining, Not Dismantling

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the ruling “lifts the handcuffs” on their mission to return education decisions to the states. “The President of the United States has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels,” McMahon added in a statement. (WSJ, USA Today)

The administration has argued that the staffing cuts are aimed at streamlining the department, not dismantling it. In filings to the Court, Solicitor General John Sauer emphasized that decisions about agency personnel levels rest with the executive branch, not the judiciary, and are necessary to fulfill the department’s core functions efficiently. (WSJ)

A Blow to Critics

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the court’s three liberal justices, dissented sharply. “The majority is either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naïve,” she wrote. “The threat to our Constitution’s separation of powers is great.” (NPR)

More than 1,300 employees were placed on administrative leave earlier this year. Judge Myong Joun had ruled the cuts undermined Congress’s statutory mandate for the department’s work. That ruling is now on hold, and the administration can resume restructuring efforts. (USA Today)

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Inside the Education Overhaul: SCOTUS Ruling, Agency Cuts, and What Comes Next

🔐 Become a Pro Subscriber to unlock today’s Pro Brief and explore how the Supreme Court cleared the way for mass firings at the Department of Education, what Trump’s long-term plan for the agency looks like, and how states and school districts are preparing for the fallout.