Federal Appeals Court Blocks All Remaining Parts of SAVE Student Debt Relief Plan

The appeals court ruling was handed down a day after President Joe Biden announced another $1.2 billion in debt forgiveness for 35,000 student borrowers.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona (right) looks on as President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the student debt relief portal beta test, in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House in Washington on Oct. 17, 2022. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

A federal appeals court has issued an order that blocks all remaining parts of the federal government’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) student debt relief plan that weren’t blocked by an earlier lower-court ruling.

In a brief unsigned order entered into the record on July 18, the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request by a coalition of seven Republican-led states led by Missouri to block all remaining active parts of the Education Department’s SAVE plan, which aims to lower student loan payments and forgive debts.