MARK SHERMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Wed, March 26, 2025
President Donald Trump speaks at an education event and executive order signing in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher training.
A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the cuts, finding they were already affecting training programs aimed at addressing a nationwide teacher shortage. An appeals court turned away a plea from the administration to allow them to resume.
The government asked the high court to step in, arguing that the order is one of several issued by federal judges around the country wrongly forcing it to keep paying out millions in grant money.
The Supreme Court called for a response to the appeal by Friday.
It comes after U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued a temporary restraining order sought by eight Democratic-led states that argued the cuts were likely driven by efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The Republican president signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Education Department, and his administration has started overhauling much of its work, including cutting dozens of contracts it dismissed as “woke” and wasteful.
“So long as there is no prompt appellate review of these orders, there is no end in sight for district-court fiscal micromanagement," acting Solicitor General Sarah M. Harris wrote.
The Justice Department has filed four other emergency appeals of court rulings that blocked administration actions amid a wave of lawsuits that have slowed, at least for now, aspects of Trump's agenda.
The Supreme Court has yet to rule on an appeal asking to narrow court orders that have imposed a nationwide hold on Trump’s desire to restrict birthright citizenship. An appeal to halt an order requiring the rehiring of thousands of federal workers is also pending.
The justices previously rejected a bid to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid and did not immediately allow Trump’s firing to proceed of the head of a federal watchdog agency. A later ruling from a lower court, though, did force Office of Special Counsel head Hampton Dellinger from his job.
The two education programs at issue — the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development — provide more than $600 million in grants for teacher preparation programs, often in subject areas such as math, science and special education, the states have argued. They said data has shown the programs had led to increased teacher retention rates and ensured that educators remain in the profession beyond five years.
The administration halted the programs without notice in February. The administration argues the states could at least temporarily draw on their own funds to continue funding the programs.
Joun, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, found that the cancellations probably violated a federal law that requires a clear explanation for such cost-cutting moves.
The appellate panel that rejected the administration’s request for a stay also was made up of judges nominated by Democratic presidents.
California is leading the lawsuit and is joined by Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin.
The order the administration wants from the high court would allow the cuts to go forward while the legal fight over them plays out.
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This story been corrected to reflect that there are four other emergency appeals filed by the Trump administration at the Supreme Court, not three.
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to freeze dozens of teacher training grants
John Fritze, CNN
Wed, March 26, 2025
Demonstrators gather outside of the offices of the US Department of Education in Washington, DC, on March 13 to protest against mass layoffs and budget cuts at the agency. - Bryan Dozier/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty
President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to allow it to freeze millions of dollars in grants to states for addressing teacher shortages over allegations that the money was being used on programs that take part in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The case is the latest from the Trump administration’s second-term agenda to reach the Supreme Court’s emergency docket – and the latest to question the power of federal district court judges to temporarily block the administration’s policies.
“This case exemplifies a flood of recent suits that raise the question: ‘Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever)’ millions in taxpayer dollars?” Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris, the administration’s top appellate attorney, told the Supreme Court.
“This court should put a swift end to federal district courts’ unconstitutional reign as self-appointed managers of executive branch funding and grant-disbursement decisions,” she wrote.
The justices are already considering whether to limit a court order blocking President Donald Trump from enforcing his birthright citizenship order and a case involving probationary federal employees.
In early February, the Trump administration attempted to terminate 104 of 109 grants that had been awarded under two programs that train teachers in traditionally underserved schools. Eight blue states sued and a federal judge in Boston issued an order temporarily blocking the administration from freezing the funding. A federal appeals court declined to overturn that order.
The administration, in its request for an emergency intervention, claimed that it was ending the funding to the states’ programs as part of Trump’s crackdown on DEI initiatives. Officials sent a brief form notice to the grant awardees and did not provide specific evidence that their programs were engaged in any DEI practices.
The case is the latest where judges have reversed Trump moves to withhold federal funding already promised to various grant programs. It is also one of several lawsuits touching on the president’s anti-DEI gambits. The federal district court has set a hearing in the case for Friday.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who handles emergency appeals rising from the 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals, ordered the states that sued to response by Friday.
CNN’s Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.
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Trump asks Supreme Court to slash teacher training funds in war on DEI
Mark Sherman
INDEPENDENT
Thu, March 27, 2025
The Trump administration has escalated its legal battle over education funding cuts, taking its case to the Supreme Court.
The administration is seeking to overturn a lower court's block on cuts to teacher training programs, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
A Boston federal judge initially halted the cuts, citing their detrimental impact on training programs designed to address the national teacher shortage.
The administration's subsequent appeal to the Boston federal appeals court was also rejected.
The legal challenge was initiated by eight Democratic-led states, who argue that the cuts are politically motivated and aim to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
The states point to President Donald Trump's executive order calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education and the administration's subsequent overhaul of department initiatives.
Trump holds up a pen after signing an executive order to abolish the Department of Education (AFP via Getty Images)
Dozens of contracts have been terminated, labeled by the administration as "woke" and wasteful.
The Justice Department has filed three other emergency appeals of court rulings that blocked administration actions.
The Supreme Court has yet to rule on an appeal asking to narrow court orders that have imposed a nationwide hold on Trump’s desire to restrict birthright citizenship. An appeal to halt an order requiring the rehiring of thousands of federal workers is also pending.
The justices previously rejected a bid to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid and did not immediately allow Trump’s firing to proceed of the head of a federal watchdog agency. A later ruling from a lower court, though, did force Office of Special Counsel head Hampton Dellinger from his job.
The two education programs at issue – the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development – provide more than $600 million in grants for teacher preparation programs, often in subject areas such as math, science and special education, the states have argued.
Thu, March 27, 2025
The Trump administration has escalated its legal battle over education funding cuts, taking its case to the Supreme Court.
The administration is seeking to overturn a lower court's block on cuts to teacher training programs, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
A Boston federal judge initially halted the cuts, citing their detrimental impact on training programs designed to address the national teacher shortage.
The administration's subsequent appeal to the Boston federal appeals court was also rejected.
The legal challenge was initiated by eight Democratic-led states, who argue that the cuts are politically motivated and aim to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
The states point to President Donald Trump's executive order calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education and the administration's subsequent overhaul of department initiatives.
Trump holds up a pen after signing an executive order to abolish the Department of Education (AFP via Getty Images)
Dozens of contracts have been terminated, labeled by the administration as "woke" and wasteful.
The Justice Department has filed three other emergency appeals of court rulings that blocked administration actions.
The Supreme Court has yet to rule on an appeal asking to narrow court orders that have imposed a nationwide hold on Trump’s desire to restrict birthright citizenship. An appeal to halt an order requiring the rehiring of thousands of federal workers is also pending.
The justices previously rejected a bid to freeze nearly $2 billion in foreign aid and did not immediately allow Trump’s firing to proceed of the head of a federal watchdog agency. A later ruling from a lower court, though, did force Office of Special Counsel head Hampton Dellinger from his job.
The two education programs at issue – the Teacher Quality Partnership and Supporting Effective Educator Development – provide more than $600 million in grants for teacher preparation programs, often in subject areas such as math, science and special education, the states have argued.
Hampton Dellinger has been forced from his job (via REUTERS)
They said data has shown the programs had led to increased teacher retention rates and ensured that educators remain in the profession beyond five years.
The administration halted the programs without notice in February.
Joun, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, found that the cancellations probably violated a federal law that requires a clear explanation for such cost-cutting moves.
The appellate panel that rejected the administration’s request for a stay also was made up of judges nominated by Democratic presidents.
California is leading the lawsuit and is joined by Massachusetts, New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin.
The order the administration wants from the high court would allow the cuts to go forward while the legal fight over them plays out.
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to let it cut teacher training grants
Maureen Groppe and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
Wed, March 26, 2025
WASHINGTON − The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to let it cancel teacher preparation grants that the Education Department says promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
In an emergency request, the administration said it shouldn't have to fund millions of dollars for the programs while eight Democratic-led states are challenging the decision to end them.
Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris described the case as one of "a flood of recent suits" in which a single District Court judge wielded "unchecked power" to block administration policies that could save taxpayers millions of dollars. She called the case an ideal example to prevent "micromanagement" from District Court judges.
"So long as there is no prompt appellate review of these orders, there is no end in sight for district-courtfiscal micromanagement," Harris wrote in her filing. "Only this Court can right the ship −and the time to do so is now."
The appeal for intervention was the fifth the administration has made to the court as judges around the country have hit the brakes on the blizzard of actions Trump has taken to reshape the government and consolidate power.
The federal judge in Boston who is hearing the dispute over education grants ordered the Education Department to temporarily restore the funding to those states earlier this month.
The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration's request to block that order.
Appeals Judge William Kayatta said the department's cancellations letters to grant recipients lacked a "reasoned explanation" for ended funding Congress authorized to recruit and train teachers for traditionally under-served schools.
Empty classroom with no students
Kayatta, writing for the three judges − all of whom were appointed by Democratic presidents − said cutting the funding will result in staff layoffs and program disruptions.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading a group of eight Democratic states attorneys general challenging the termination, said California stands to lose at least $148 million for programs that help train teachers to go into hard-to-fill positions, like math and science, and into high-poverty or high need schools.
The Education Department said it canceled grants used to train teachers and education agencies on "divisive ideologies," which it said included DEI, "critical race theory" and "anti-racism."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump asks Supreme Court to let it cut teacher training grants
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