The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to move forward with plans that could lead to the shutdown of the Department of Education.
The court granted a stay that lifts a lower court’s injunction blocking mass layoffs at the agency, affecting nearly 1,400 employees.
The case ended up before the Supreme Court after a group of school districts, unions and a coalition of nearly two dozen Democratic-led states sued to stop the layoffs.
The lawsuits claim the mass layoffs would mean that the department would be unable to carry out key federal obligations, including administering student aid, supporting special education services and enforcing civil rights protections.
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While President Trump has acknowledged that only Congress can formally eliminate the agency, he has ordered its staff and leadership to begin winding it down through executive action, which the court's liberal justices took issue with.
"The president must take care that the laws are faithfully executed, not set out to dismantle them. That basic rule undergirds our Constitution’s separation of powers. Yet today, the majority rewards clear defiance of that core principle with emergency relief. Because I cannot condone such abuse of our equitable authority, I respectfully dissent," Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote.
The Associated Press reports that the individuals targeted by the layoffs have been on paid leave since March. However, Monday's decision could mean their ultimate dismissal.
