Latest news with #MyongJoun
Reuters
3 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump administration claims judge defied Supreme Court to bar Education Department firings
Aug 15 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is accusing a federal judge in Boston of defying the U.S. Supreme Court's authority by continuing to block it from gutting part of the U.S. Department of Education, after the justices halted a similar order he issued. The U.S. Department of Justice asked, opens new tab the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene on Thursday after U.S. District Judge Myong Joun a day earlier said he would not lift an injunction, opens new tab requiring the administration to reinstate staff members it terminated en masse from the department's Office for Civil Rights. Justice Department attorneys said Joun should have vacated his injunction after the Supreme Court last month paused a broader injunction he issued preventing wide-scale Education Department firings. The administration asked the 1st Circuit to act in order to avoid a second round of litigation at the high court. "The district court's disregard of the Supreme Court's ruling represents an affront to the Supreme Court's authority—and thus to the rule of law in the United States," Justice Department attorneys wrote. The filing came as tensions continue to flare between the judiciary and the Trump administration, which has itself been repeatedly accused of not complying with judicial orders, including in the case before Joun. The lawsuit followed an announcement in March by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon of a mass layoff of more than 1,300 employees. Trump has called for the department's shuttering, which only Congress could ultimately authorize. Joun, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, in May blocked the job cuts at the behest of a group of Democratic-led states, school districts and teachers' unions. At the administration's request, the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, on July 14 lifted Joun's injunction. But the court did not address a narrower injunction Joun had issued covering just the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws in schools and was facing a loss of half of its employees. The civil rights office cuts were challenged by two students and Victim Rights Law Center, which represents sexual assault victims. Citing the Supreme Court's order, the Justice Department said the injunction they won could no longer stand. Joun declined, calling the Supreme Court's brief order "unreasoned." He said the administration had also "not substantially complied with the preliminary injunction order," as employees in the civil rights office have still not returned to work following his injunction. A lawyer for the plaintiffs did not respond to a request for comment. The case is Victim Rights Law Center v. United States Department of Education, 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 25-1787. For the plaintiffs: Sean Ouellette of Public Justice and Reid Skibell of Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes For the United States: Melissa Patterson and Steven Myers of the U.S. Department of Justice
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Why Supreme Court's approval of 1,400 US Education Department layoffs is called 'willfully blind' and 'naive'
US Education Department layoffs: Why Supreme Court's decision to allow 1,400 cuts is 'willfully blind' and 'naive,' judges warn US Education Department layoffs 2025: The US Supreme Court has allowed President Trump to proceed with his plan to lay off nearly 1,400 employees from the US Department of Education, effectively enabling a large-scale downsizing of the agency. This ruling reverses a preliminary injunction issued by Boston's Judge Myong Joun, who had blocked the layoffs, citing concerns that the cuts would cripple the department's operations. The decision has sparked sharp criticism from three liberal justices, who dissented, branding the Supreme Court's ruling as "willfully blind" and "naive." The dissenters argue that the ruling threatens the constitutional principle of separation of powers by allowing the executive branch to effectively dismantle a federal agency by firing its employees. Supreme Court backs Trump's plan despite legal challenges The Supreme Court's order permits the Trump administration to move forward with the mass layoffs, pausing Judge Joun's injunction that had prevented the terminations. The Education Department staff affected by the layoffs had been on paid leave since March, according to the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252. Without the injunction, these employees would have been terminated in early June. The case involves two consolidated lawsuits, one filed by several school districts in Massachusetts and education groups including the American Federation of Teachers, and another by a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general. Both suits argue that the layoffs amount to an illegal closure of the Education Department, leaving it unable to fulfil its statutory duties such as supporting special education, distributing financial aid, and enforcing civil rights laws. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan, wrote that the majority was "either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naive," warning of a "grave" threat to the US Constitution's separation of powers, as reported by the Associated Press. Department of Education response and ongoing disputes Education Secretary Linda McMahon criticised the delay caused by the lower court's injunction and welcomed the Supreme Court's intervention, calling it "a shame" it took the highest court to confirm the president's authority over federal staffing and agency operations, as reported by the Associated Press. Meanwhile, more than 20 US states have filed lawsuits against the administration over billions of dollars in frozen education funding that support after-school care, summer programmes and other initiatives. The department has indicated it is "actively assessing how to reintegrate" the affected employees, requesting updates on their employment status to ensure a smooth return to duty if possible. Summary of key details Issue Detail Number of layoffs Nearly 1,400 employees Initial court action Judge Myong Joun issued an injunction blocking layoffs Supreme Court ruling Allowed layoffs to proceed in a 6–3 decision Dissenting justices Sotomayor, Jackson, Kagan Lawsuits Filed by Massachusetts school districts, education groups, and 21 Democratic attorneys general Department duties affected Special education, financial aid distribution, civil rights enforcement Employee status On paid leave since March; no full return to work during injunction The Supreme Court ruling thus permits the Trump administration's controversial downsizing plan to continue despite ongoing legal challenges and warnings from dissenting justices about the potential damage to the Education Department's capacity and constitutional governance. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Hans India
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
US Supreme Court allows Trump to shrink Education Department
Washington: The US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to dismantle the Department of Education after pausing a preliminary injunction issued by a US district judge in May. In a 6-3 emergency ruling, the Supreme Court lifted the district judge's order to reinstate employees terminated in mass layoffs, Xinhua news agency reported. On May 22, Boston-based US District Judge Myong Joun ordered the Trump administration to reinstate nearly 1,400 workers affected by mass layoffs at the department. US District Judge Myong Joun in Boston stated that the layoffs "will likely cripple the department." This marks the second significant victory for Trump from the Supreme Court within a week. Last week, the Court paved the way for Trump's extensive plan to reduce the federal workforce, overturning lower court rulings that had temporarily blocked the initiative. The dismantling of the education department is part of the US President's plan to reduce the federal government's role in education and increase state control. A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general, along with school districts and unions, has filed two legal challenges, asserting that Trump's efforts to shut down the Department of Education could hinder its ability to fulfill its essential responsibilities. Established by Congress in 1979, the Department of Education has several key roles, including administering college loans, monitoring student performance, and enforcing civil rights in schools. Additionally, it provides federal funding to support underfunded districts and assist students with disabilities.
India.com
15-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
US Supreme Court Allows Trump To Shrink Education Department
The US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to dismantle the Department of Education after pausing a preliminary injunction issued by a US district judge in May. In a 6-3 emergency ruling, the Supreme Court lifted the district judge's order to reinstate employees terminated in mass layoffs, Xinhua news agency reported. On May 22, Boston-based US District Judge Myong Joun ordered the Trump administration to reinstate nearly 1,400 workers affected by mass layoffs at the department. US District Judge Myong Joun in Boston stated that the layoffs "will likely cripple the department." This marks the second significant victory for Trump from the Supreme Court within a week. Last week, the Court paved the way for Trump's extensive plan to reduce the federal workforce, overturning lower court rulings that had temporarily blocked the initiative. The dismantling of the education department is part of the US President's plan to reduce the federal government's role in education and increase state control. A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general, along with school districts and unions, has filed two legal challenges, asserting that Trump's efforts to shut down the Department of Education could hinder its ability to fulfill its essential responsibilities. Established by Congress in 1979, the Department of Education has several key roles, including administering college loans, monitoring student performance, and enforcing civil rights in schools. Additionally, it provides federal funding to support underfunded districts and assist students with disabilities.
Al Jazeera
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US Supreme Court backs Trump push for mass firings at Education Department
The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the administration of President Donald Trump can proceed with plans to slash funding and resources for the federal Department of Education. The conservative-majority court ruled on Monday that the government could move forward with plans to lay off nearly 1,400 employees as part of Trump's push to effectively dismantle the department. 'While today's ruling is a significant win for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the land had to step in to allow President Trump to advance the reforms Americans elected him to deliver using the authorities granted to him by the US Constitution,' Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement celebrating the decision. Monday's ruling cancels a previous order on the administration's efforts to fire about 1,400 workers at the Education Department, which US District Judge Myong Joun had ruled against in May, stating that it would 'likely cripple the department'. A US Court of Appeals agreed in a ruling on June 4 that the cuts would make it 'effectively impossible for the Department to carry out its statutory functions', which include overseeing student loans and enforcing civil rights law in US education, the site of previous political battles over issues such as federal efforts to combat racial segregation. Critics have accused the Trump administration of working to effectively abolish federal agencies, established and funded by Congress, through a maximalist interpretation of executive power. Trump and his Republican allies have depicted federal agencies as being at odds with their political agenda, and as hotbeds of leftist ideology and bureaucratic excess. The Trump administration has also sought to impose greater control over US universities, seeking a larger role in shaping curricula and threatening to withdraw federal funds if universities do not comply with government demands concerning issues such as cracking down on pro-Palestine student activism. In response to the court's decision on Monday, a liberal legal group that helped bring the challenge to Trump's efforts lamented that the ruling 'dealt a devastating blow to this nation's promise of public education for all children'.
