On Monday, the United States Supreme Court lifted a court order that had prevented former President Donald Trump from carrying out mass layoffs at the Department of Education, allowing the elimination of around 1,400 jobs at the federal agency.
With an unspecified majority, the high court overturned a precautionary measure imposed by a lower court, which sought to halt the dismissals while multiple lawsuits filed by state prosecutors, teachers’ unions, and educational organizations were being evaluated.
The decision represents a significant setback for opponents of the restructuring proposed by Trump, who has pushed for an aggressive policy to dismantle federal agencies and reduce the size of the government.
Sotomayor’s tough dissent
In a dissenting opinion, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, supported by her colleagues Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, accused the majority of the Court of authorizing a potentially illegal action by the Executive.
“Today, the Court gives the government the green light to continue layoffs that could be irreversible and directly affect the administration of essential educational programs,” wrote Sotomayor. “This is a dangerous validation of measures that the Judiciary has a constitutional duty to examine.”
The judge emphasized that lifting the precautionary order undermines the principle of judicial oversight against unilateral decisions by the Executive, especially when fundamental rights of students, families, and public employees are at stake.
A conflict in progress
The controversy began in March, when Trump signed an executive order drastically reducing the operations of the Department of Education, transferring some of its functions to other federal agencies. Since then, around 1,400 employees have been on administrative leave with pay, awaiting a final decision.
The claims allege that the layoffs violate laws passed by Congress that require the agency to ensure services such as student loan administration, special education programs, and civil rights protection in education.
With this decision, the government will be able to proceed with the layoffs while the litigation continues in lower courts.