On July 14, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to stay a lower court order that had blocked mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education. The decision lifted a preliminary injunction issued by a Massachusetts federal judge and allowed the administration to move forward with plans to fire nearly 1,400 employees. The layoffs are part of a broader effort to cut the department’s workforce by half and eventually close the agency.
Judge Myong J. Joun of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts issued the injunction on May 22, 2025. He found that the states, school districts, and unions challenging the plan were likely to succeed in showing that the cuts would severely disrupt the department’s ability to carry out federally mandated programs. The First Circuit declined to stay the injunction, and the administration sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court. The high court granted the stay and allowed the layoffs to proceed while the case continues on appeal.
The Court issued its order without explanation. Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson, dissented. She argued that only Congress has the power to eliminate a cabinet-level agency and said the administration’s actions defied the constitutional separation of powers.
McMahon v. New York (2025) __ U.S. __, case No. 24A1203.