Mercer Times

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin has joined a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration. The legal action aims to prevent the administration from dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, following an announcement on March 11 that half of the department's workforce would be laid off as part of a plan for its "total shutdown."

Attorney General Platkin stated, "Trump’s flagrant attempts to dismantle the Department of Education by executive action are blatantly illegal, and they will harm millions of students, teachers, and families in New Jersey who depend on the vital services and funding the Department of Education provides." He emphasized that President Trump does not have unilateral authority to close a Cabinet agency.

The U.S. Department of Education supports nearly 18,200 school districts and over 50 million K-12 students across approximately 98,000 public schools and 32,000 private schools nationwide. Its programs also assist more than 12 million postsecondary students annually. Key beneficiaries include students with disabilities and those from low-income families.

The lawsuit claims that dismantling the department will severely impact states like New Jersey by incapacitating its essential functions. It argues that such actions will deprive special needs students of crucial resources and weaken ED's Office of Civil Rights. Additionally, it could complicate financial aid processing, affecting access to loans, Pell Grants, and work-study programs.

Attorney General Platkin and his colleagues seek a court order to halt these actions, arguing they are unconstitutional without Congressional approval. The coalition includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.