Federal Judge Halts Trump’s Bid to Dismantle Department of Education

In a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump’s bold agenda, a federal judge has halted his administration’s attempt to dismantle the Department of Education. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ruled Thursday that the executive branch cannot unilaterally shutter the department without Congress’s green light. This isn’t just a bureaucratic tussle—it’s a clash over the balance of power.

Joun’s order not only blocks the mass firings at the DOE announced in March but also mandates the reinstatement of any employees already let go. The judge called out Trump’s campaign promises to eliminate the department, dismissing the administration’s claim that the firings were merely a ‘reorganization’ as a flimsy cover. ‘Plainly not true,’ Joun wrote, cutting through the spin.

This ruling follows hot on the heels of another judicial roadblock. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton stopped Trump’s team from firing two Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Walton argued that such moves would undermine the board’s role in checking federal counterterrorism policies. It’s a pattern: judges are stepping in to curb executive overreach.

The oversight board case, brought by plaintiffs Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten, hinged on whether members could be fired at will. The administration argued that job protections weren’t explicit, but Walton wasn’t buying it, warning that at-will removals would make the board a puppet of the very authority it’s meant to oversee. The White House, undeterred, insists Trump’s constitutional power to remove personnel will prevail.

These back-to-back rulings underscore a deeper tension: Trump’s push for sweeping change versus the checks baked into the system. Expect more legal battles as his administration tests the limits of executive authority.