The Supreme Court is allowing President Donald Trump to dismantle the Department of Education by firing thousands of employees.
The justices lifted a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to re-hire laid off employees. No vote count was made available on the Court’s order, but it did note dissents from liberal Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson.
Although the Supreme Court’s order is temporary, it clears the way for the Trump administration to fire the Education Department employees as the case goes through the appeals process. Trump signed an executive order in March to begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education, a longstanding conservative priority dating back to the 1980s. The executive order will likely face significant legal challenges because Trump is attempting to use executive power to unilaterally eliminate an agency created by Congress.
Trump’s directive instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take action necessary to close down the $268 billion agency and transfer its powers back to states. The president’s order fulfilled his promise to do away with the Education Department and empower states to handle education instead of the federal government. Conservatives have long argued that the agency, created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, needlessly hampers state authority and works to promote left-wing ideology in the education system.
“Today, the Supreme Court again confirmed the obvious: the President of the United States, as the head of the Executive Branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels, administrative organization, and day-to-day operations of federal agencies,” McMahon said.
“We will carry out the reduction in force to promote efficiency and accountability and to ensure resources are directed where they matter most – to students, parents, and teachers. As we return education to the states, this Administration will continue to perform all statutory duties while empowering families and teachers by reducing education bureaucracy.”
A Biden-appointed Massachusetts judge ruled in May that the Trump administration must re-hire fired Education Department employees while a lawsuit against Trump’s executive order is pending. An appeals court sided with the judge and upheld his ruling, prompting the federal government to file an emergency application with the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has permitted the Trump administration to follow through on its plans to fire thousands of federal employees across various agencies. As head of the executive branch, Trump is attempting to remove entrenched bureaucrats whom the administration considers unnecessary or ideologically hostile to its agenda.
McMahon has already overseen layoffs representing nearly half the Education Department’s workforce and used the agency to carry out civil rights investigations into dozens of educational institutions.