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2mo ago

First Circuit Lets Education Department Proceed With Cuts to Civil Rights Office Staff

The appeals court stayed a lower-court reinstatement order in light of the Supreme Court’s July emergency ruling, leaving active lawsuits to test whether the reductions unlawfully impair the office’s mandate.

United States Department of Education logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Overview

  • The three-judge panel paused U.S. District Judge Myong Joun’s injunction that had required the Office for Civil Rights to restore laid-off employees.
  • The ruling clears the way to shed roughly half of OCR’s workforce—about 264 of roughly 550 positions—after the department had already brought back 85 staffers with additional returns planned.
  • The Justice Department argued the Supreme Court’s July order permitting broader Education Department layoffs controlled, and the panel agreed at this preliminary stage.
  • Judge Seth Aframe concurred, noting the high court’s brief order may have limited bearing as courts later assess whether the cuts unlawfully impede OCR’s statutory functions.
  • The challenge was brought by the Victim Rights Law Center and parents with pending cases, who warn enforcement could lag as OCR, which recently saw seven regional offices closed, confronts a rising complaint load.