In a major legal setback for former U.S. President Donald Trump a federal judge has issued an injunction blocking his controversial bid to dismantle the United States Department of Education, citing multiple constitutional violations and procedural overreach.
The ruling came on Tuesday from Judge Miranda Kessler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who described the move as “an unlawful encroachment on established federal powers and statutory protections”
The lawsuit was brought forward by a coalition of education advocacy groups, state attorneys general, and civil rights organizations, who argued that the proposed dismantling of the department would violate students’ rights, disrupt federal funding to schools, and eliminate essential oversight mechanisms.
Trump, who is running a high-profile campaign to return to the White House in 2028, had recently revived his plan to eliminate the Department of Education a proposal he first floated during his 2016 and 2020 campaigns.
He argued that education should be entirely under state control, and accused the federal agency of promoting “leftist ideology” in school curricula and “wasting billions in bureaucracy.”
During a rally in Florida last month, Trump declared that, if re-elected, he would “shut down the Department of Education on Day One”, transferring all functions and funds to individual states.
Judge Kessler, in a 97-page decision, said that the executive branch does not have the authority to unilaterally abolish a cabinet-level department established by Congress.
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“The Department of Education was created through legislative action in 1979. Any dismantling or reassignment of its functions requires Congressional consent,” Kessler wrote.
She also highlighted potential harms to low-income students, students with disabilities, and minority communities, who rely heavily on federal protections under laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Title IX.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, responding to the ruling, said the department “remains committed to ensuring every student receives equitable access to quality education and will continue to defend against efforts to erode national standards.”
The decision was applauded by education unions, school administrators, and Democratic lawmakers. Senator Elizabeth Warren called the ruling “a victory for public education and the Constitution.”
However, Trump’s campaign team dismissed the ruling as judicial activism, vowing to challenge it in appellate courts. In a press release, they claimed, “This is not the end. We will restore parental control over education and eliminate wasteful government departments.”
Legal experts suggest that the ruling will make it significantly more difficult for any future administration to tamper with foundational federal agencies without explicit legislative backing.
While Trump’s call to abolish the Education Department has energized his base, it has also raised concerns among moderate voters and educators who fear the collapse of federal standards, student loan protections, and civil rights enforcement in schools.
The ruling effectively halts further administrative actions to defund or restructure the department until the legal battle concludes — a process that may extend well into the 2028 election cycle.
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