DELAWARE – A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction halting the Trump administration’s effort to implement major structural changes at the U.S. Department of Education, following a lawsuit joined by Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings.
The injunction, issued May 22 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, stops a planned reduction of the department’s workforce and the transfer of certain functions, such as student loan management and special education services, outside the agency. The court also ordered that employees affected by the layoffs be reinstated.
On March 13, the lawsuit was filed by Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and 20 other state attorneys general. According to the Delaware Department of Justice, the lawsuit followed executive actions announced on March 20 and 21 that directed the agency’s closure and the reassignment of services.
In addition to Delaware, the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.