In a significant blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul the education system, the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts imposed a preliminary injunction against President Donald Trump’s initiative to gut the Department of Education (DOE).
The Trump administration initiated a considerable reduction in force (RIF), cutting over 50 percent of the agency’s staff. The court suggested that the administration cannot make such significant changes without congressional approval.
🚨 BREAKING: A federal judge just put Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education on ice.
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) May 22, 2025
Judge Myong J. Joun; a Biden appointee, has ordered:
-An immediate halt to Trump’s executive orders,
-The re-hiring of all fired federal education staff,
-And weekly court… pic.twitter.com/blh4HKFYib
US District Judge Myong Joun pointed out that the White House’s “true intention is to effectively dismantle the Department without an authorizing statute” and argued that “the Department cannot be shut down without Congress’s approval.”
BREAKING: Federal Judge Myong Joun (Biden/MA) blocks Trump Education Department cutbacks, says they appear to be part of effort to shut down department, which the judge says requires Congressional approval. via @kyledcheney @hassankanu https://t.co/DU9teyLjrJ
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) May 22, 2025
Joun found that the White House’s move violated constitutional and statutory rules and provisions, including the separation of powers, the Take Care Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
The judge’s ruling comes after 21 states, school districts, unions, and advocacy groups filed a lawsuit asserting that the staffing cuts had crippled essential educational services. These include 12 regional civil rights offices and the processing of student loans and distribution of special education funds. The judge stated that the plaintiffs “have demonstrated that the Department will not be able to carry out its statutory functions—and in some cases, is already unable to do so.”
BREAKING: Federal Judge Myong Joun (Biden/MA) blocks Trump Education Department cutbacks, says they appear to be part of effort to shut down department, which the judge says requires Congressional approval. via @kyledcheney @hassankanu https://t.co/DU9teyLjrJ
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) May 22, 2025
Joun insisted that this case is not just about employment practices. “The idea that Defendants’ actions are merely a ‘reorganization’ is plainly not true,” he said, further suggesting that the ruling is aimed at preventing the White House from bypassing Congress.
The Trump administration has not indicated whether it plans to appeal the ruling. But the matter will still be litigated in court. It’s not certain how a court will eventually rule in this matter, but there is a strong argument that shutting down a department requires Congressional input.
However, it is also uncertain whether such an initiative would have enough support, even in a Republican-controlled legislature.
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