Judge blocks Trump's order to dismantle Education Dept

A federal judge on Thursday blocked the executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle the Department of Education (DE) and ordered the agency to reinstate employees who have been laid off so far.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston granted an injunction preventing the Trump Administration from shutting down the ED.

The ruling came after two lawsuits were filed specifying that Trump's plan amounted to an illegal closure of the ED. For its part, the administration said it will challenge Joun's decision.

According to collected AP, a lawsuit was filed by the Somerville and Easthampton, in Massachusetts, along with the American Federation of Teachers, while the other was filed by a coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general.

Both lawsuits argued that the layoffs left the department unable to carry out responsibilities required by Congress, including obligations to support special education, distribute financial aid and enforce civil rights laws.

Likewise, Joun asserted that "layoffs of that magnitude will likely paralyze the department. The idea that the defendants' actions are mere 'reorganization' is simply false."

In March, Trump signed the executive order to close the Department of Education in an effort to return control of education to states and local communities. In doing so, the ED announced the layoff of more than 1,300 of its employees as part of an effort to slash the organization's staff in half.

"Closing the Department of Education will give children and their families the opportunity to escape a system that is failing them," the president said at the time. He argued that although per capita spending on education increased by more than 245% since 1979, no "measurable" improvements have been seen in student achievement.