A U.S. federal judge on Thursday halted the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, marking the first legal ruling against the administration’s sweeping changes to the agency.
Judge Myong Joun, appointed by President Joe Biden and serving on the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, issued a preliminary injunction barring the dismissal of nearly half the department’s 4,000 employees. The order also blocked a plan to transfer federal student loan management to the Small Business Administration (SBA). President Donald Trump has long criticized the Department of Education, arguing that federal investments in education have failed to produce quality outcomes, citing low student proficiency in reading and math.
In March, Trump signed an executive order initiating the department’s dismantling, framing the move as part of a broader effort to return control of education to the states. A large-scale layoff process had already begun before the court’s intervention.
Legal experts noted that establishing or dissolving federal agencies typically requires Congressional approval, not unilateral executive action.