Justice Sonia Sotomayor sharply criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Monday, accusing it of rewarding President Donald Trump’s “clear defiance” of constitutional principles by allowing the administration to proceed with plans to lay off 1,400 Department of Education employees.
Why It Matters
The ruling marks another significant victory for the Trump administration, which has been using emergency appeals—often called the “shadow docket”—to advance policy changes while bypassing lengthy legal battles. It also underscores the growing divide within the court over how much power the executive branch should wield in reorganizing the federal government.
Last week, the court also sided with Trump in a separate case, ruling that district judges cannot issue nationwide injunctions—another decision seen as limiting judicial checks on presidential power.
What Happened
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court lifted a lower court injunction that had blocked the Trump administration from initiating mass layoffs at the Department of Education. The original ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Massachusetts, said the move likely required congressional approval and raised questions about the administration’s broader plan to phase out the department entirely.
Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, issued a forceful dissent.
“When the Executive publicly announces its intent to break the law, and then executes on that promise, it is the Judiciary’s duty to check that lawlessness, not expedite it,” Sotomayor wrote.
“That decision is indefensible,” she continued. “It hands the Executive the power to repeal statutes by firing all those necessary to carry them out.”
She warned that the ruling erodes the Constitution’s separation of powers by effectively allowing the president to dismantle laws through staffing decisions.
Reactions
Education Secretary Linda McMahon celebrated the ruling, calling it a constitutional affirmation of the president’s authority.
“Today, the Supreme Court again confirmed the obvious: the President of the United States, as the head of the Executive Branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels, administrative organization, and day-to-day operations of federal agencies,” McMahon said in a statement.
She added that the layoffs are part of a broader plan to streamline the department and return education control to the states.
“This Administration will continue to perform all statutory duties while empowering families and teachers by reducing education bureaucracy,” she said.
Meanwhile, Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward and an attorney for the plaintiffs challenging the layoffs, called the ruling “devastating” for public education.
“On its shadow docket, the Court has yet again ruled to overturn the decision of two lower courts without argument,” Perryman said. “The Trump-Vance administration’s actions to decimate a department established by Congress are still unconstitutional.”
What’s Next
With the legal barrier removed, the Department of Education is expected to move forward with the reduction in force. McMahon confirmed that while the department will continue to function, the staffing cuts align with President Trump’s wider effort to scale back the federal bureaucracy.
Litigation over the legality of the layoffs remains ongoing in the lower courts, but for now, the administration is free to implement the cuts.
