• The Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to lay off nearly 1,400 Education Department employees.
• Justices ruled 6-3 to suspend a lower court's block on the layoffs, enabling Trump's plan to dismantle the department.
• Critics warn that the layoffs could undermine civil rights protections and educational funding.
• Justice Sotomayor stated the ruling poses a grave threat to the separation of powers.
• Education Secretary McMahon called the decision a victory for returning education responsibilities to states.

The Supreme Court has ruled that President Donald Trump can proceed with his plan to lay off nearly 1,400 employees from the Education Department, allowing the administration to effectively carry out significant downsizing within the agency. This decision pauses a prior ruling by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun, who claimed such layoffs would "likely cripple the department," particularly affecting its ability to enforce civil rights laws and manage federal student aid, according to HuffPost and CBS News.

This ruling, delivered in a 6-3 decision, allows the administration to resume its efforts to dismantle the department, which has been a central pillar of Trump's campaign promise to shift educational power back to the states. In a dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued that only Congress has the authority to abolish such a federal agency, warning that the ruling poses a "grave threat" to the Constitution's separation of powers, as reported by Reuters and Los Angeles Times.

The Department of Education, originally formed in 1979, manages essential federal functions such as college loans and civil rights enforcement in education. Critics from various school districts and teacher unions argue that the workforce reductions will severely handicap the department's ability to fulfill these crucial roles, jeopardizing equity in public education, according to Channel News Asia and Business Insider.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon expressed support for the ruling, stating it allows the administration to promote "efficiency and accountability," echoing Trump's campaign narrative of decreasing federal oversight in favor of state control. She emphasized that the administration remains committed to maintaining necessary functions amid the cuts, as detailed by TRT World and Al Jazeera.

The broader implications of the Supreme Court's ruling could shift significant authority over education from federal to state control, raising concerns among education advocates about the erosion of the federal safety net for disadvantaged students. As the legal battles continue, many fear the long-term repercussions of these actions, which left the department operating with a markedly reduced workforce, according to India Times and Le Monde.