• A federal judge halted the Trump administration’s plan to lay off over 1,300 Education Department employees.
• Democratic-led states argued the move aimed to dismantle the department without proper congressional authority.
• The layoffs followed President Trump’s March executive order to shut down the Department of Education entirely.
• The injunction came in response to lawsuits from 20 states, the District of Columbia, school districts, and teachers’ unions.
• The judge said the administration’s actions lacked legal backing and violated administrative norms.

In a major blow to the Trump administration’s education agenda, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun on Thursday blocked the federal government from proceeding with a planned mass layoff of more than 1,300 U.S. Department of Education employees. The ruling came in response to lawsuits filed by Democratic attorneys general representing 20 states and the District of Columbia, as well as several school districts and educators’ unions.

Judge Joun issued a preliminary injunction from Boston federal court, saying the record showed “abundantly” that the administration’s true aim was “to effectively dismantle the department without an authorizing statute.” The judge was appointed by President Joe Biden and criticized the lack of congressional mandate for such a sweeping action.

Reuters news agency confirmed that Judge Joun’s statement was made in the context of issuing a preliminary injunction against the administration’s proposed layoffs, which were seen as an attempt to effectively dismantle the Department of Education without legislative authorization.

The layoffs were announced on March 11 by Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who called the move a “reduction in force” aligned with the department’s “final mission.” The announcement came just a week before President Donald Trump signed an executive order to shut down the department entirely — a campaign pledge designed to shift education oversight entirely to states and local boards.

The Reuters report noted that the Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.

Legal experts said the case raises constitutional and administrative concerns. Without a formal act of Congress to eliminate the department, the executive branch lacks unilateral authority to dissolve or hollow it out through layoffs alone.

While the injunction blocks the immediate layoffs, the Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling. The outcome could set the stage for a broader legal battle over the scope of executive power in reorganizing federal agencies.