- Supreme Court clears Trump to cut Education Department staff.
- Liberal justices warn move threatens constitutional separation of powers.
- Federal education funding aids poor schools, civil rights protections.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump to proceed with his controversial plan to dismantle the Department of Education, lifting a lower court’s block on mass layoffs at the agency. The unsigned order, backed by the court’s conservative majority, came despite strong dissent from the three liberal justices.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Trump, who returned to the White House in January, had pledged to eliminate the Education Department and ordered massive workforce cuts in March. Education Secretary Linda McMahon was instructed to “put herself out of a job,” as Trump aimed to slash the department’s workforce by nearly half.
Opponents, including 20 states and multiple teachers’ unions, challenged the move, saying it violated the Constitution’s separation of powers by overriding Congress, which created the department in 1979. In May, District Judge Myong Joun ruled in their favour and ordered the reinstatement of hundreds of dismissed workers.
However, the Supreme Court has now reversed that decision without explanation. The ruling follows a recent decision by the court permitting mass firings of federal employees across other agencies.
In a sharp dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, warned that only Congress has the authority to dismantle a federal department. “The threat to our Constitution’s separation of powers is grave,” she wrote.
Though the federal government contributes only about 13% of school funding, it plays a vital role in supporting low-income students and enforcing civil rights protections in education.
Trump’s broader government overhaul also targets diversity programs, USAID, and other federal bodies, under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), previously led by Elon Musk.
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