A federal judge in Boston has thrown a wrench into President Donald Trump’s sweeping efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, blocking the administration’s move to gut the agency through mass firings and program transfers. The Thursday (May 22) ruling by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun follows an emergency injunction request filed by a coalition of 18 Democratic-led states, several school districts, and major teachers’ unions who warned the actions would devastate public education infrastructure, especially for students with disabilities and low-income borrowers.
The Trump administration moved swiftly to implement Project 2025, a controversial blueprint drafted by the conservative Heritage Foundation and its partners. The plan calls for a vast rollback of federal oversight in education, with goals to eliminate the Department of Education, slash diversity and inclusion programs, and shift education authority back to states and private actors.
But Judge Joun was unconvinced by the administration’s argument that the layoffs and transfers were simply a reorganization effort.
“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,” Joun wrote in his 38-page decision.
He called the plan “an unlawful subversion of congressional intent,” adding that allowing it to continue could cause “immediate and irreversible harm” to tens of millions of students, particularly those relying on federal student loans, special education services, and Title I funding for low-income schools. Judge Joun ordered the Education Department to cease all employee terminations immediately, halt program transfers, and submit compliance reports and weekly updates on restoration status.
Madi Biedermann, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications, confirmed that the department would “challenge the ruling on an emergency basis.”
The lawsuit was led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, joined by New York, California, Illinois, and others. At the heart of their case was the March 21 directive issued by Education Secretary Kenneth Blackwell, a Trump appointee and long-time advocate for school privatization, that initiated the transfer of several key functions of the department, including the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and Federal Student Aid (FSA), to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Treasury Department, respectively.
“This was not reform. This was sabotage,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in a statement. “They’re trying to shut down public education from the inside out. Today’s ruling is a lifeline for students, educators, and families.”
In the courtroom, Justice Department lawyers insisted the administration’s actions were legal and in line with the president’s executive authority to streamline the federal workforce. They emphasized that none of the essential services would be terminated, only managed under different federal umbrellas.
According to the Project 2025 policy agenda, “The federal government should cede all power over schools not explicitly granted by the Constitution,” advocating for the abolition of the department and the redirection of funds to parents via vouchers and tax credits.
Support for public education remains strong among voters. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 72% of Americans oppose eliminating the Department of Education, including 54% of Republican voters.
