On March 20th, 2025, Trump signed an executive order that shut down key functions of the Department of Education (DOE), rendering it powerless. In addition, the order issued an ultimatum: end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs or lose your federal funding. The implementation of Trump’s order also resulted in a 50% staff reduction in the Department of Education. Over 21 state attorney generals have sued the Trump Administration over the mass layoffs and this week, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun blocked Trump’s executive order for attempting to illegally force the department to shut down.
In the official memo, Trump makes the intentions of the Executive Order clear: the “Department of Education’s main functions can, and should, be returned to the States.” Directly following his declaration is Section 2 (a), “Closing the Department of Education and Returning Authority to the States.” Here, his directives to the Secretary of Education Linda McMahon are contradictory asking for her to facilitate the oversight of dismantling the department while maintaining the current output of services which, by the way, were already strained. Apart from the order being horrific for students, educators, parents and our communities—it’s illegal. As stated by Joun, “a department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all. 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.”
Following the ruling, the Trump administration immediately filed an appeal and issued a statement via Madi Biedermann calling Joun a “far left” judge, insinuating that he had a bias in his ruling…ironic.
There is a concerted effort by this administration to privatize and deregulate everything which means equity cannot be enforced. With less than 5,000 federal staff members ensuring education is accessible for K-12, that loans are processed for college students, and so much more, the answer was never to defund but to invest. This is especially true for Black and Brown communities who are impacted the most when it comes to funding and the shortage of teachers and resources. This ruling is a considerable step in a fight to preserve the right to a funded and equitable education.
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