Hawaiʻi leads coalition to halt Trump’s Department of Education cuts

The state of Hawaiʻi won a court order stopping the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday.

On March 13, Attorney General Anne Lopez led a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in suing the administration after it announced plans to eliminate half of the U.S. Department of Education workforce.

A March 20 executive order directed the closure of the Department of Education, and the administration announced on March 21 that, in addition to implementing layoffs, the Department of Education must “immediately” transfer student loan management and special education services outside of the department. This prompted Lopez and the coalition to seek a preliminary injunction to halt the mass layoffs and transfer of services.

Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted the preliminary injunction, halting the administration’s policies that would dismantle the Department of Education and ordering all employees who were fired as part of the layoffs to be reinstated.

“We are pleased with Judge Joun’s decision, which makes clear that the dismantling of the Department of Education is completely illegal,” said Attorney General Lopez. “The administration’s assault on education is an assault on the children of Hawaiʻi and the future of our state. This is a fight we are proud to take on.”

Attorney General Lopez and the coalition argued in their lawsuit and motion for a preliminary injunction that the federal administration’s attacks on the department are illegal and unconstitutional. The Department of Education is an executive agency authorized by Congress, with numerous laws creating its various programs and funding streams.

The coalition’s lawsuit asserts that the executive branch does not have the legal authority to unilaterally dismantle it without an act of Congress. In addition, Attorney General Lopez and the coalition argue that the Department of Education’s mass layoffs violate the Administrative Procedure Act.

The dismantling of the Department of Education would directly impact the Hawaiʻi Department of Education and the University of Hawaiʻi, which depends on multiple student aid loan programs administered through the federal Department of Education, providing critical financial support to thousands of students annually.

Delays and cuts to federally administered student aid programs directly affect the University of Hawaiʻi’s student population and increase the financial strain on thousands of families already struggling to afford college.

“Today’s ruling is a critical victory for students and for the future of public higher education,” said University of Hawaiʻi System President Wendy Hensel. “The U.S. Department of Education plays an essential role in expanding access to college, supporting low- and middle-income students through Pell Grants and student loans, and providing the data and infrastructure that drive smart, evidence-based policies.”

According to Hensel, the University of Hawaiʻi has more than 100 programs that rely on support from the Department of Education. “We are grateful for the amazing work of our Attorney General and her team leading on this case, and for the court’s recognition of the profound impacts of these policy decisions,” Hensel said.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education relies on federal assistance with the administration of several multimillion-dollar grants that fund early intervention services for youth and their families, increased access to public education for homeless youth, educational services for children from low-income families, the development of school robotics and computer science programs and much more.

“Today’s decision is essential to preserving the U.S. Department of Education’s ability to provide the critical funding, policy guidance, and civil rights protections that support our students and schools,” said Hawaiʻi State Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi. “We are reassured knowing that federal funding and foundational programs that directly benefit Hawaiʻi’s public school students — such as Title I, Special Education (IDEA), and Career and Technical Education — will remain stable. Mahalo to Governor Green and Attorney General Lopez for their steadfast commitment and advocacy in securing the resources and protections our students and educators depend on.”

The state of Hawaiʻi is represented in this case, New York et al. v. McMahon et al., by Solicitor General Kalikoʻonālani Fernandes, Deputy Solicitors General Caitlyn Carpenter and Ewan Rayner, and Special Assistant to the Attorney General Dave Day. This lawsuit is led by Attorney General Lopez and the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts, and New York. Joining in the filing are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.