Federal judge blocks Trump's executive order to close Education Department

A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump's executive order to shut down the Education Department, according to media reports.

US District Judge Myong Joun in Boston, Massachusetts issued an injunction barring the Trump administration from moving forward with mass layoffs that would cut the agency's workforce in half and ordered the government to reinstate 1,300 laid-off workers.

"The record abundantly reveals that defendants' true intention is to effectively dismantle the department without an authorizing statute," Joun wrote in his ruling, adding that the plaintiffs "have provided an in-depth look into how the massive reduction in staff has made it effectively impossible for the Department to carry out its statutorily mandated functions."

Joun wrote that the plaintiffs have demonstrated irreparable harm with school districts having delays in federal funding and the layoffs resulted in the "practical elimination" of essential offices in the Federal Student Aid office (FAFSA).

"The Department's actions have directly impacted the FAFSA system and risk its functionality," wrote Joun.

The decision is a blow to Trump's efforts to eliminate the agency and also stifles the president's directive to move student loans and programs for students with disabilities outside the department.

The Trump administration is expected to file an appeal.

Only an act of Congress can definitively close the Education Department, but Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon are seeking to reduce its size and scope as much as possible while urging lawmakers to eliminate it.