Judge halts dismantling of Education Department

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A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday issued an injunction blocking the Trump administration from dismantling the Department of Education, and ordered fired employees be reinstated.

The record abundantly reveals that Defendants’ true intention is to effectively dismantle the Department without an authorizing statute,” U.S. District Judge Myong Joun wrote, noting "the Department cannot be shut down without Congress’s approval."

The judge said an injunction was necessary because “The supporting declarations of former Department employees, educational institutions, unions, and educators paint a stark picture of the irreparable harm that will result from financial uncertainty and delay, impeded access to vital knowledge on which students and educators rely, and loss of essential services for America’s most vulnerable student populations.”

Prior to the mass firings, or reduction in force, "the Department was already struggling to meet its goals, so it is only reasonable to expect that an RIF of this magnitude will likely cripple the Department