A federal judge has halted the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate thousands of employees at the U.S. Department of Education. The court ruled that these actions were part of an attempt to dismantle the department without congressional approval.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun dismissed the administration’s argument that the layoffs, announced in March, were aimed at improving efficiency. Instead, Joun stated that they disrupted services for students, families, and states, thereby reducing efficiency.
The judge noted that these cuts aligned with President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate the department entirely—a move deemed illegal without congressional consent. Trump had issued an executive order directing the Secretary of Education to facilitate the department’s closure.
“The record abundantly reveals that Defendants’ true intention is to effectively dismantle the Department without an authorizing statute,” Joun wrote in an 88-page opinion. “The idea that Defendants’ actions are merely a ‘reorganization’ is plainly not true.”
Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association President Osa Tui Jr. expressed relief over the decision: “These firings, thousands of miles away from our islands, could have profound detrimental effects on our keiki and the vital services they currently receive.”
Judge Joun’s order prevents further terminations and stops any transfer of departmental functions to other agencies. It also requires reinstating employees terminated since Trump’s inauguration to ensure the department can perform its statutory duties.
In response, a Department of Education spokesperson criticized Joun as “an unelected judge with a political axe to grind,” defending the mass termination as “obviously lawful.” The administration has initiated steps to appeal this ruling.
This judicial intervention is one among several aiming to counteract some drastic changes proposed by the Trump administration concerning federal agencies. Recently, another ruling by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ordered restoring grant funding cut from programs supporting school desegregation efforts.
Moreover, a deadlocked U.S. Supreme Court decision left intact a state Supreme Court ruling against establishing a religious charter school in Oklahoma due to constitutional concerns about church-state separation.
National Education Association President Becky Pringle commented on this outcome: “We are gratified that the Supreme Court did not take the radical step of upending public education by requiring states to have religious charter schools.”
The NEA continues monitoring developments related to public education under Trump’s policies, providing updates and legal analyses on these matters weekly.
