The Supreme Court announced it would review the Biden administration’s attempt to ease the process for borrowers challenging their student loan repayments at for-profit schools.

The Education Department issued a rule in 2022 — blocked by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — that aimed to streamline a review process for borrowers who claimed they could not repay their loans because they were defrauded or their for-profit schools closed.

The number of student borrowers who submitted claims to not repay their loans soared in 2015, so the Education Department set up a streamlined process for reviewing the students’ defenses, according to the Justice Department’s brief to the Supreme Court.

The rule also allowed the federal government to recoup the money from the institutions.

President Biden has canceled $180 billion in student loans for nearly 5 million Americans, according to the Department of Education. 

The department appealed to the Supreme Court over the appeals court’s injunction, and the justices agreed to hear the case.

It is likely oral arguments will take place in the spring.

Career Colleges & Schools of Texas, which initially challenged the rule with more than a dozen other trade schools, said the Education Department’s rule would cause irreparable harm to smaller institutions.

The case is Department of Education v. Career Colleges and Schools of Texas.

The justices also agreed to hear two other cases on Friday.

The court will hear Becerra v. Braidwood Management, which weighs the constitutionality of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. As part of the Health and Human Services Department, the task force issues recommendations for preventative screenings and medications.

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers must cover part of the preventative services that the task force recommends.

A lower court ruled the task force members should be appointed and confirmed by the Senate under the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, prompting the Health and Human Services Department to appeal to the justices.

The justices announced Friday they also will weigh a dispute over unpaid taxes becoming moot. That case is the Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. Zuch.

At least four justices had to vote in favor of hearing the disputes for oral arguments to be granted. 

• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.