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From Politico: A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from firing thousands of workers at the Department of Education, ruling that the announced terminations were a thinly veiled effort to dismantle the entire department without congressional approval.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun rejected the administration’s claim that the thousands of terminations announced in March were a bid for “efficiency.” In fact, they had deeply disrupted services for students, families and states, making processes less efficient, the judge said.
Joun said the massive reductions were more clearly aimed at carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign-trail promise to eliminate the department altogether — something the judge said would be illegal without congressional approval. Joun noted that Trump issued an executive order in March directing the Secretary of Education to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department.”
“The record abundantly reveals that Defendants’ true intention is to effectively dismantle the Department without an authorizing statute,” Joun, a Biden appointee, wrote in an 88-page opinion. “The idea that Defendants’ actions are merely a ‘reorganization’ is plainly not true.”
The judge not only blocked the firings but also banned the Department of Education from transferring its functions to other agencies.
ABOUT THIS JUDGE: Judge Myong Jin Joun, 53, was born in South Korea, and came to the U.S. as a child. He attended college in the U.S., and served in the Massachusetts National Guard.
He was first nominated by Joe Biden in July 2022 to serve as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, to fill a seat vacated by Judge George A. O’Toole Jr., who assumed senior status on January 1, 2018. His nomination was finally confirmed by the Senate in July 2023. Joun served on the ACLU Board of Directors from 2009-2014.
JUST IN: Myong Joun, a Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge, blocked Trump from shutting down the Department of Education and is ordering the reinstatement of more than 1,300 employees who were fired. pic.twitter.com/2zZh4XtF7Z
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 22, 2025
Journalist Kyle Becker voiced his outrage, writing, “Meet the New President of the United States. His name is Myong J. Joun. He just “ordered” Donald Trump not to close the Department of Education. Don’t remember voting for him? Too bad! Elections don’t matter for the modern Democratic Party!”
Meet the New President of the United States.
His name is Myong J. Joun.
He just “ordered” Donald Trump not to close the Department of Education.
Don’t remember voting for him? Too bad!
Elections don’t matter for the modern Democratic Party! pic.twitter.com/QTDKycXlB3
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) May 22, 2025
READ MORE from Politico.
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from firing thousands of workers at the Department of Education, ruling that the announced terminations were a thinly veiled effort to dismantle the entire department without congressional approval.https://t.co/Nlldj3fJ6A
— POLITICO (@politico) May 22, 2025
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