On January 20, 2025, President Trump began his second term after campaigning on a promise to close the U.S. Department of Education. Soon after, his administration announced a reduction in force that cut nearly half the Department of Education’s workforce, locked employees out of systems, and left key offices, including the Institute of Education Sciences, Federal Student Aid, and the Office for Civil Rights, unable to carry out many of their statutory duties.
The NAACP, several of its branches, the National Education Association, Prince George’s County Educators Association, AFSCME Council 3, and parents of public school children filed suit against the administration in March 2025. They alleged that the administration’s actions, along with President Trump’s March 20 Executive Order instructing the Secretary of Education to take steps to close the Department of Education, constituted an unlawful dismantling of the agency. The plaintiffs claimed violations of the Take Care Clause, the Appropriations and Spending Clauses, separation of powers, the Administrative Procedure Act, and ultra vires action, and sought declaratory and injunctive relief.
Judge Julie R. Rubin of the District of Maryland denied both the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction and the government’s motion to dismiss, each without prejudice. The federal district court noted that federal courts had reached different conclusions on similar challenges. Additionally, the Supreme Court had stayed preliminary injunctions in related cases, which signaled that the government was likely to succeed on appeal. Against that backdrop, the district court concluded that plaintiffs had not shown the clear likelihood of success required for extraordinary relief.
The district court also stressed that the sweeping relief the plaintiffs sought, which included vacating the reduction in force, reinstating terminated functions, and halting grant cancellations, would effectively require the court to oversee the Department’s day-to-day operations. The district court explained that this would improperly insert the judiciary into management of the executive branch, which the Constitution assigns to the political branches.
The district court denied the government’s dismissal motion administratively to allow refiling or an answer after further proceedings. The case remains pending, with the government required to respond within 30 days.
NAACP v. United States (D.Md. Aug. 19, 2025, No. 8:25-cv-00965-JRR).