Overview:
Donald Trump wants the Supreme Court to freeze millions in teacher training grants.
Update: 4/4/2025: On Friday, the Supreme Court allowed President Trump to temporarily freeze millions of dollars in grants to states used to address teacher shortages. The decision was 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal-leaning justices dissenting.
In an unsigned option, the states have indicated “that they have the financial wherewithal to keep their programs running. “Respondents have not refuted the Government’s representation that it is unlikely to recover the grant funds once they are disbursed,” the majority said of the states challenging the Trump administration. “By contrast, the Government compellingly argues that respondents would not suffer irreparable harm while the [temporary restraining order] is stayed.”
“Respondents have represented in this litigation that they have the financial wherewithal to keep their programs running,” the majority added in its unsigned ruling. “So, if respondents ultimately prevail, they can recover any wrongfully withheld funds through suit in an appropriate forum.”
Friday’s case is the latest in what is expected to be a flood of cases that the Trump administration is bringing to the Supreme Court, including a lower court order that reinstated roughly 16,000 previously terminated federal employees.
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On Wednesday, the Trump administration requested the Supreme Court to permit the freezing of millions in state grants intended to address teacher shortages, citing concerns that the funds were being used for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
“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?” The top appellate attorney, the Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris, asked 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.”
This request is the second time the administration has urged the justices to overturn a lower court’s temporary block on its actions this week. It reflects mounting frustration from President Donald Trump and his allies over injunctions that have hindered much of his second-term agenda.
In early February, the Trump administration called to terminate 104 of 109 grants awarded under two programs that train teachers in traditionally underserved schools. Eight Democratic state Governors 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.
On March 10, U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun issued a temporary restraining order stating that the grants could not be canceled while the legal challenge to the decision was pending. An appeals court affirmed that ruling last Friday.
Meanwhile, Trump has called for the impeachment of a federal judge, while Republicans in Congress are considering legislation to curb judges they argue are issuing expansive rulings that limit presidential authority. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. criticized the impeachment demands, stating that disputes over court rulings should be resolved through the appeals process.
