Attorney General Charity Clark has joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing a motion for a preliminary injunction to halt the dismantling of the Department of Education (ED). This legal action follows the Trump administration's announcement to reduce the department's workforce by 50 percent. On March 13, Attorney General Clark and her colleagues initiated a lawsuit in response to these plans.
The urgency of their motion intensified after President Trump's Executive Order on March 20, which directed the closure of ED. Subsequently, on March 21, President Trump declared that student loan management and special education services must be transferred outside of the department "immediately." In response, Attorney General Clark and her coalition are seeking a court order to prevent these layoffs and service transfers.
The coalition contends that the Trump administration's actions have already adversely affected families and students nationwide. They argue that mass layoffs have led to closures of ED's Office of Civil Rights locations across the country and delayed critical funding for state school systems. States depend on billions annually for various educational services, including those for children with disabilities, vocational training, and adult education. The attorneys general claim that these essential programs will face severe disruptions if the administration's efforts proceed unchecked.
In their lawsuit and motion for a preliminary injunction, Attorney General Clark and her coalition assert that the Trump administration’s actions against ED are both illegal and unconstitutional. They emphasize that ED is an executive agency authorized by Congress with numerous laws establishing its programs and funding mechanisms. The lawsuit argues that dismantling it without congressional approval exceeds executive authority. Furthermore, they claim that ED’s mass layoffs breach the Administrative Procedures Act.
The attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia have joined Attorney General Clark in this legal effort.