Federal Judge Blocks Mass Layoffs at Department of Education

The lawsuit was brought by Democratic attorneys general from 20 states against the Education Department.

A gavel on a U.S. flag, in this illustration taken on Aug. 6, 2024. Dado Ruvic/Reuters

A federal district judge on May 22 issued an order that blocked the Trump administration’s termination of some Department of Education employees, siding with arguments made by Democratic-led states.

In an injunction, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun blocked the government from initiating a layoff plan that would leave the Department of Education with significantly fewer employees.

“The record abundantly reveals that Defendants’ true intention is to effectively dismantle the Department without an authorizing statute,” the judge wrote in the order.

The lawsuit was brought by Democratic attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia, led by New York, as well as teachers’ unions and multiple school districts. They argued that the Education Department’s recent decision to terminate staff members goes against the law.

“The supporting declarations of former Department employees, educational institutions, unions, and educators paint a stark picture of the irreparable harm that will result from financial uncertainty and delay, impeded access to vital knowledge on which students and educators rely, and loss of essential services for America’s most vulnerable student populations,” Joun wrote.

Layoffs of that scale, the judge also wrote, “will likely cripple the Department.” Joun ordered the Education Department to reinstate federal workers who were laid off as part of an announcement by the agency on March 11.

In that announcement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the administration would be carrying out reductions in force, or layoffs, at the department that would affect nearly 50 percent of its workforce.

“Today’s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” McMahon said in her statement.

“I appreciate the work of the dedicated public servants and their contributions to the Department. This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system.”

Lawyers for the government, in opposing the Democratic-led states’ lawsuit, argued in an April court filing that the department has issued no order to “shut itself down” and said that the plaintiffs “are relying on the reduction-in-force as the final agency action with respect to the reorganization of the Department.”

“The reduction-in-force marks the initiation, not the consummation, of the agency’s decision-making process,” lawyers for the administration said.

“The reduction-in-force reflects a decision by Department leadership that agency functions need to be streamlined and reorganized.”

Those job cuts were announced a week before President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the department’s closure, following a campaign promise to conservatives aimed at leaving school policy almost entirely in the hands of states and local boards.

Trump has said that since the creation of the Education Department in the 1970s, it has been a waste of money and resources, pointing to the United States’ low international ranking when it comes to education.

“We’re at the bottom of the list and we’re the most expensive,” Trump told reporters in February at the Oval Office. “We’re at the top of the list when it comes to cost per pupil. We spend more money per pupil than any other nation in the world.”

McMahon has said in media interviews that attempts to dismantle the Education Department will follow the law.

“I think [the president] was correct in saying that we were going to do everything legally. That’s what he has said to me from the very beginning,” McMahon told Fox News’s “Special Report” with Bret Baier in March.

Reuters contributed to this report.