A federal judge in Boston has issued a major blow to Donald Trump’s controversial plan to dismantle the Department of Education, halting the administration’s efforts and ordering the reinstatement of employees who were fired as part of the attempted shutdown.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ruled that the Trump administration effectively attempted to gut the department without proper legislative authority, calling the mass firings and restructuring efforts an “unauthorized power grab” that ignored congressional oversight.
“This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the Department’s employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the Department becomes a shell of itself,” Judge Joun wrote in a sharply worded opinion issued Thursday.
The Trump administration had argued that the move to wind down the Department of Education was a fulfillment of a key campaign promise, framed as an effort to shift more control over education back to states and local communities. But critics said the plan bypassed essential legal channels, endangered federal education programs, and set a dangerous precedent.
Under the Trump blueprint, the department would be gradually dismantled by transferring or eliminating key functions—including those related to civil rights enforcement, federal student aid, and public school funding. Since early 2025, the administration has been laying off staff, consolidating offices, and redirecting resources to state-level agencies without seeking congressional approval.
The judge’s ruling now forces the administration to reverse course. The Education Department is legally required to reinstate previously terminated employees and suspend further layoffs or structural changes, pending appeal.
Legal experts say this case could set the stage for a broader constitutional battle over the extent of presidential power over executive agencies.
The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision swiftly. A spokesperson for the White House stated that the ruling was “deeply disappointing” and insisted that Trump’s vision for American education remains unchanged. “We believe the federal government’s role in education has long been bloated and ineffective. This setback is temporary,” the spokesperson said.
Critics, however, welcomed the ruling. Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called the decision a win for “students, educators, and democracy,” noting that dismantling the department could have severely impacted access to federal education programs and protections for vulnerable students.
The injunction has broader implications, especially as education continues to be a central issue in Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign. He has repeatedly said he intends to “end the Department of Education” if reelected, calling it a “federal failure.”
But with this new legal roadblock in place, Trump’s education overhaul faces an uncertain future—one that will likely play out in courtrooms, Congress, and on the campaign trail.
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