In his ruling, District Court Judge Myong J. Joun wrote, "A department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all. This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the Department's employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the Department becomes a shell of itself."

A federal judge Thursday ordered an indefinite stop to the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. The court order reinstated 1,300 fired workers, nearly half the department's staff, and blocked attempts to transfer management of federal student loans and special education functions out of the department.

“President Trump and the Senate-confirmed Secretary of Education clearly have the authority to make decisions about agency reorganization efforts, not an unelected Judge with a political axe to grind. This ruling is not in the best interest of American students or families. We will immediately challenge this on an emergency basis.”