Washington, D.C. – July 15, 2025
In a landmark decision reflecting the dramatic restructuring of the U.S. federal government under President Donald Trump, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday lifted a lower court’s block, giving Trump the green light to continue dismantling the Department of Education.
The unsigned order by the conservative-majority court removed a stay issued by a federal district judge, effectively allowing mass layoffs at the department to resume. The decision marks a pivotal moment in Trump’s second-term agenda to shrink the federal bureaucracy, particularly in areas he deems non-essential or inefficient.
Three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — strongly dissented. Sotomayor warned in her dissent that “only Congress has the power to abolish the Department,” calling the ruling “a grave threat” to the Constitution’s separation of powers.
Trump’s Long-Standing Pledge
The Education Department, established in 1979, has long been in Trump’s crosshairs. During his campaign, he vowed to eliminate it entirely. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump instructed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “put herself out of a job” and initiated plans to cut the department’s workforce by nearly half.
The decision by the Supreme Court follows a May ruling by District Judge Myong Joun, who ordered the reinstatement of hundreds of Education Department employees after finding Trump’s firings unconstitutional. That ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by teachers’ unions and 20 states, who argued the move violated congressional authority.
But with the Supreme Court lifting that order, the president now has broad legal cover to continue mass terminations.
Wider Government Overhaul Under DOGE
The ruling also underscores the administration’s broader restructuring efforts under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial agency previously helmed by tech billionaire Elon Musk. DOGE is spearheading a government-wide plan to slash federal employment, eliminate agencies like the Education Department and USAID, and end diversity initiatives.
Trump has already moved to fire tens of thousands of federal workers, using new legal tools approved by the high court just last week.
Implications for Education and Civil Rights
The federal government historically provides only about 13% of funding for K–12 education in the U.S., with the bulk coming from states and local governments. However, federal dollars are critical for low-income districts, special needs students, and for enforcing civil rights protections in schools.
Educators and civil rights advocates fear that eliminating the department would strip away key oversight functions, weakening protections for vulnerable students and widening inequality in education.
A Constitutional Showdown
“This ruling sets a dangerous precedent,” said a spokesperson for the National Education Association. “If the executive branch can unilaterally dismantle a department created by Congress, what stops it from doing the same to others?”
Justice Sotomayor echoed that sentiment in her dissent:
“The majority is either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naïve. Either way, the threat to our Constitution’s separation of powers is grave.”
Despite the legal uproar, Trump remains committed to his path. “We’re draining the swamp — for real this time,” he said at a campaign rally Monday evening. “Education should be local, not federal. The days of bloated, unaccountable agencies are over.”
