The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Donald Trump to completely abolish the Department of Education. The court approved the Trump administration’s appeal, which overturned the lower court’s order to rehire 1400 employees. Three judges of the court opposed this decision.
America’s highest court, the Supreme Court, has cleared the way for President Donald Trump to completely abolish the Department of Education.
The court’s conservative judges on Monday granted the Trump administration’s appeal of a lower court order to rehire 1,400 Education Department employees, giving Trump a free hand to dismantle the Department of Education.
However, the court’s three liberal justices strongly opposed the decision. Justice Sonia Sotomayor called it “untenable” in her dissenting note.
Justice Sonia said that this decision gives the President the power to abolish laws because he can hollow out the department by removing essential employees. Along with her, Justice Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson have also called this decision a threat to the separation of powers of the Constitution.
Two organizations challenged Trump’s decision
Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced on March 11 that the department would lay off half of its staff. Trump then issued an executive order on March 20.
The order directed McMahon to take all steps within the limits permitted by law to completely close down the Education Department.
The move is being challenged in two lawsuits, one led by Democratic states and the other by Massachusetts schools and unions, which are opposing it and are being challenged in court.
“Without explanation, these Supreme Court justices have done a devastating damage to the free education guarantee for America’s children,” said Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward. The New York Attorney General’s Office has yet to comment.
What was the decision of the lower court?
Boston District Court Judge Myoung Jun ruled in May that the layoffs would virtually cripple the Education Department. He said Trump’s move was an attempt to destroy the department by eliminating employees, closing regional offices and transferring programs to other agencies.
“A department that does not maintain adequate staff to perform its lawful functions is no longer a department,” the judge wrote.
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston refused to overturn Judge June’s ruling, prompting Trump to approach the Supreme Court.
The case further strengthens Trump’s power to dismantle institutions created by Congress, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the US Agency for International Development, and the US Institute of Peace.
Why does Trump want to close the Department of Education?
During the presidential election, Trump had promised that he would decentralize education as soon as he came to power. After doing this, the responsibility of education would no longer be with the central government but would go into the hands of the states. Many leaders of the Republican Party wanted to do this.