Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow mass layoffs at Education Department

Washington — President Trump's administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to clear the way for it to continue with its efforts to dismantle the Department of Education and lay off more than 1,000 employees while a legal fight over the future of the department moves forward.

The Justice Department is seeking the high court's intervention in a pair of disputes brought by a group of states and school districts and teachers unions, which challenge President Trump's efforts to unwind the Department of Education. Mr. Trump signed an executive order in March directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to facilitate the department's closure to the maximum extent allowed under the law.

As part of Mr. Trump's pledge to get rid of the department, the administration canceled a host of grants and executed a reduction in force, or a layoff, that impacted 1,378 employees — roughly a third of the department's workforce. Mr. Trump also announced that the Small Business Administration would take over the Education Department's student-loan portfolio, and the Department of Health and Human Services would handle special education, nutrition and other related services.