AG Brown joins 20 other AGs to petition a federal judge to prevent shutdown of the Department of Education

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Nick Brown today joined a coalition of 21 state attorneys general in filing a motion for a preliminary injunction as part of their lawsuit to stop President Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to dismantle the Department of Education.

On March 13, the attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it announced plans to eliminate half of the Department’s workforce. Following a March 20 executive order directing the closure and President Trump’s March 21 announcement that the Department must “immediately” transfer student loan management and special education services outside of the Department, the attorneys general now seek a court order to immediately stop the mass layoffs and transfer of services not approved by Congress.

“The devastating cuts and layoffs at the Department of Education will directly harm Washington’s youth and their families,” Brown said. “Our office will fight to defend the education and health of our students from President Trump’s illegal order.” 

The attorneys general assert the Trump administration’s attacks on the Department have already had serious consequences for families and students throughout the country, including in Washington state. Mass staff layoffs led to the closure of its Office of Civil Rights outreach throughout the country, which protects students from discrimination and sexual assault. Federal approval of state programs is already delayed, and critical funding for state school systems will likely be delayed.

States rely on billions of dollars every year in funding for elementary and secondary education, services for children with disabilities, vocational education, adult education and other crucial services. All of these programs will be severely disrupted if the administration’s cuts are not stopped.

Brown and the other attorneys general assert that the Trump administration’s attacks on the Department are illegal and unconstitutional. It is an executive branch agency authorized by Congress, with laws that guide its various programs and funding streams. The coalition’s lawsuit asserts that the executive branch does not have the legal authority to unilaterally dismantle the Department without an act of Congress. In addition, the attorneys general argue that Department’s mass layoffs violate the Administrative Procedures Act.

Joining Attorney General Brown in filing today’s motion are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

The motion can be found here.

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