Supreme Court promotes ‘lawlessness’ through decision on gutting Education Department
The Supreme Court let the Trump administration go forward with mass layoffs at the Department of Education.
SCOTUS lifted a lower court order preventing the department from implementing a “reduction in force,” a large-scale federal layoff mechanism, to eliminate around 50% of the department’s workforce.
The court offered no explanation for its decision.
The decision gets Trump closer to his goal of shuttering the Education Department, which has long been a popular target for Republicans and conservative activists. Trump’s assault on the Education Department is part of his wider effort to transform the executive branch in his image.
All three liberal justices dissented in an opinion written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who called the court’s decision “indefensible.”
“When the Executive publicly announces its intent to break the law, and then executes on that promise, it is the Judiciary’s duty to check that lawlessness, not expedite it,” Sotomayor wrote.
“Lifting the District Court’s injunction will unleash untold harm, delaying or denying educational opportunities and leaving students to suffer from discrimination, sexual assault, and other civil rights violations without the federal resources Congress intended,” Sotomayor continued. [Continue reading…]