AG Keith Ellison wins court order to stop dismantling of the Department of Education
Acquired Through MGN Online on 06/01/2020
(ABC 6 News) — On Thursday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced he has won a court order to stop the dismantling of the Department of Education (ED).
AG Ellison joined a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in suing the Trump administration on March 13 after it announced plans to eliminate 50% of the department’s workforce.
Related: AG Ellison joins lawsuit against President Trump for Education Department cuts
Following a March 20 Executive Order directing the closure of ED and President Trump’s March 21 announcement that, in addition to implementing layoffs, the Department must “immediately” transfer student loan management and special education services outside of the Department, Attorney General Ellison and the coalition sought a preliminary injunction to immediately stop the mass layoffs and transfer of services.
Now, the U,S, District Court for the District of Massachusetts has granted the preliminary injunction, halting policies to dismantle ED and ordering all employees who were fired as part of the layoffs to be reinstated.
“Tens of millions of students across America depend on the Department of Education to receive the high-quality education that every child deserves,” said Attorney General Keith Ellison via a press release. “President Trump’s attempt to dismantle the Department of Education and throw our classrooms into chaos is deeply disturbing. I am proud to have sued to stop this illegal action and I am pleased to announce that, as of today, a court temporarily blocked this attack on our schools for the duration of that lawsuit. I look forward to continuing to litigate this case and stand up for our students, teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals.”
Joining Attorney General Ellison in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.