Supreme Court allows Trump to restart mass layoffs at education department

The US Supreme Court has authorised the Trump administration to proceed with mass layoffs at the Department of Education, paving the way for the termination of nearly 1,400 employees, approximately one-third of the agency’s staff. The court’s conservative majority reversed a lower court decision that had previously paused the layoffs and ordered worker reinstatements.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon welcomed the decision, calling it a “significant win” that will enable her to carry out President Donald Trump’s executive order. That order seeks to dismantle the Education Department “to the maximum extent permitted by law,” reflecting Trump’s long-held stance on reducing the federal government's role in education and shifting authority back to the states.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, issued a sharply worded dissent. She accused the majority of condoning executive overreach, writing that the decision “usurps Congress’s power” by effectively allowing the elimination of a federal agency established through legislation.