A federal judge in Boston has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate more than 1,300 employees of the U.S. Department of Education, accusing the administration of trying to dismantle the agency without congressional approval.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun, appointed by President Joe Biden, issued a nationwide injunction on Thursday blocking the mass layoffs that were announced in March.
The layoffs aimed to slash the department’s workforce by nearly half, a move Judge Joun ruled was unconstitutional and politically motivated.
“The record abundantly reveals that defendants’ true intention is to effectively dismantle the department without an authorizing statute,” Joun wrote in a sharply worded opinion.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic-led states, school districts, and teachers’ unions who argued that the layoffs would cripple the department’s ability to fulfill its legal responsibilities — including administering public school funding, enforcing civil rights laws, and managing the $1.6 trillion federal student loan program.
The layoffs, first announced by Education Secretary Linda McMahon on March 11, were followed just a week later by a Trump executive order calling for the complete closure of the Department of Education. The order fulfilled a longstanding campaign promise to decentralize school policy and return control to states and local boards.
The administration defended the move as a “reduction in force” meant to trim bureaucratic fat and improve efficiency. But Judge Joun disagreed, saying the massive cuts made it “effectively impossible” for the department to perform its statutory functions.
In a combative statement, Education Department spokesperson Madi Biedermann said the ruling was politically motivated.
“This came from an unelected judge with a political axe to grind,” Biedermann said, adding that the administration will appeal the decision immediately.
The attempted cuts, combined with 600 voluntary buyouts, would have reduced the department’s staff to 2,183, down from 4,133 when Trump returned to office in January.
Opponents of the layoffs said the move would destabilize federal education policy, disrupt student loan services, and weaken civil rights protections in schools.
The Education Department was established in 1979 and has since played a key role in shaping national education standards and enforcing student rights.
The court’s decision is a major blow to the administration’s broader effort to dismantle federal oversight in education, a goal strongly supported by conservative groups but staunchly opposed by civil rights advocates and educators.
