Appeals Court Allows Department of Education Jobs Cuts at Civil Rights Office

The three-judge panel cited a July Supreme Court ruling lifting a block on the Trump administration’s layoffs.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon (R) and Education Department budget analyst Hillary Perkins testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 3, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The federal government can proceed with its plans to make cuts to the Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Civil Rights after a federal appeals court on Sept. 29 ruled against a lower court injunction blocking the action.

In its appeal, the Trump administration cited a July Supreme Court ruling that lifted a lower court block preventing the ED from moving ahead with planned layoffs. That lawsuit was filed by a group of Democratic-led states, school districts, and teachers’ unions.