The US Supreme Court, currently facing divisions, has granted President Donald Trump the authority to continue his efforts to dismantle the Education Department, effective Monday.
A court with a conservative majority has, in an unsigned order, lifted a stay previously imposed by a federal district judge regarding mass layoffs at the department.
In a notable divergence, the three liberal justices on the nine-member panel expressed their dissenting opinions.
During his campaign for the White House, Trump made a bold promise to dismantle the Department of Education, established by Congress in 1979. In March, he took significant steps to reduce his workforce by nearly 50%.
Trump directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take actions that could lead to her job elimination.
Approximately 20 states have aligned with teachers’ unions to contest the action in court, contending that the Republican president is infringing upon the principle of separation of powers by overstepping Congress’s authority.
In May, District Judge Myong Joun issued a ruling that mandated the reinstatement of numerous employees who had been terminated from the Education Department.
The Supreme Court has overturned the judge’s order without providing any rationale, mere days following a separate ruling that facilitated Trump’s ability to execute mass firings of federal employees across various government departments.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, asserted in the Education ruling that “only Congress has the power to abolish the Department.”
Sotomayor expressed concern, stating, “The majority is either wilfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naive, but either way the threat to our Constitution’s separation of powers is grave.”
Historically, the federal government has maintained a constrained involvement in the education sector within the United States. Approximately 13 percent of the funding for primary and secondary schools is sourced from federal allocations, while state and local entities provide the majority of the financing.
Federal funding plays a crucial role in supporting low-income schools and students with special needs. The federal government has played a vital role in upholding critical civil rights protections for students.
Upon his return to the White House in January, Trump instructed federal agencies to develop extensive workforce reduction strategies. This initiative is part of broader efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was formerly led by Elon Musk, aimed at downsizing the government.
Former President Trump has initiated plans to terminate tens of thousands of government employees and cut various programs, specifically aiming at diversity initiatives and proposing the elimination of the Education Department, the US humanitarian aid agency USAID, among others.
