The US Supreme Court on Friday handed a major victory to the Trump administration by allowing it to terminate over $600 million in federal teacher-training grants , part of its broader campaign to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The 5-4 decision overruled a lower court’s block on the cuts, marking US President Donald Trump’s first Supreme Court win in his second term.
The court’s conservative majority, minus Chief Justice John Roberts who sided with the liberal justices in dissent, said the government was not legally bound to continue payments under the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development programs.
These grants, focused on preparing teachers in critical subjects such as science, maths, and special education, have shown strong results in improving retention, particularly in under-resourced schools, according to multiple states challenging the decision.
According to CNBC News, the Trump administration argued the programs violated a new executive order aimed at eliminating DEI-related spending. Education officials described the grants as “woke” and unnecessary, and had halted payments abruptly in February without prior notice.
In response, a coalition of eight Democrat-led states led by California sued the federal government, saying the cancellation lacked legal justification and disproportionately impacted efforts to address America’s worsening teacher shortage.
A federal judge in Boston, Myong Joun, appointed by the previous US President Joe Biden, initially blocked the cuts through a temporary restraining order, saying the cancellations likely violated federal law and were already harming teacher development programs. However, the Supreme Court’s majority ruled the states could maintain the programs using their own funds for now, arguing the federal government would have no way to recover the money if it ultimately prevails in the case.
Justice Elena Kagan, writing in dissent, criticised the court’s intervention as unnecessary and hasty. “Nowhere in its papers does the government defend the legality of canceling the education grants at issue here,” she wrote, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson adding in a separate opinion that it was “beyond puzzling” to treat the administration’s request as an emergency.
As per news agency AP, this legal fight is just one of several where lower courts have delayed or blocked Trump’s second-term agenda, prompting his administration to escalate disputes to the Supreme Court. Trump has also signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education, pushing to eliminate DEI elements across government institutions.
California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin remain parties in the ongoing lawsuit as the legal battle continues.
The 5-4 decision overruled a lower court’s block on the cuts, marking US President Donald Trump’s first Supreme Court win in his second term.
The court’s conservative majority, minus Chief Justice John Roberts who sided with the liberal justices in dissent, said the government was not legally bound to continue payments under the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development programs.
These grants, focused on preparing teachers in critical subjects such as science, maths, and special education, have shown strong results in improving retention, particularly in under-resourced schools, according to multiple states challenging the decision.
According to CNBC News, the Trump administration argued the programs violated a new executive order aimed at eliminating DEI-related spending. Education officials described the grants as “woke” and unnecessary, and had halted payments abruptly in February without prior notice.
In response, a coalition of eight Democrat-led states led by California sued the federal government, saying the cancellation lacked legal justification and disproportionately impacted efforts to address America’s worsening teacher shortage.
A federal judge in Boston, Myong Joun, appointed by the previous US President Joe Biden, initially blocked the cuts through a temporary restraining order, saying the cancellations likely violated federal law and were already harming teacher development programs. However, the Supreme Court’s majority ruled the states could maintain the programs using their own funds for now, arguing the federal government would have no way to recover the money if it ultimately prevails in the case.
Justice Elena Kagan, writing in dissent, criticised the court’s intervention as unnecessary and hasty. “Nowhere in its papers does the government defend the legality of canceling the education grants at issue here,” she wrote, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson adding in a separate opinion that it was “beyond puzzling” to treat the administration’s request as an emergency.
As per news agency AP, this legal fight is just one of several where lower courts have delayed or blocked Trump’s second-term agenda, prompting his administration to escalate disputes to the Supreme Court. Trump has also signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education, pushing to eliminate DEI elements across government institutions.
California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin remain parties in the ongoing lawsuit as the legal battle continues.
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