The groups argued that only Congress, not the president, has the authority to dismantle the Department of Education.
A coalition of advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit on Monday to block the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, calling the move illegal.
The lawsuit alleged that President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Education Department exceeds his constitutional authority and violates the federal Administrative Procedure Act.
The groups asked the court to block the department’s closure, arguing that only Congress, not the president, has the authority to dismantle it since the department was created by Congress.
“Taken together, Defendants’ steps since January 20, 2025, constitute a de facto dismantling of the Department by executive fiat,” the groups stated in the complaint. “But the Constitution gives power over ‘the establishment of offices [and] the determination of their functions and jurisdiction’ to Congress—not to the President or any officer working under him.”
The coalition includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), public school parents, the National Education Association (NEA), and AFSCME Maryland Council 3.
NEA said that eliminating the department would put more than 400,000 educator jobs at risk and make it difficult to track the use of federal education funding approved by Congress.
“The forceful elimination of thousands of essential workers will harm the most vulnerable in our communities,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement, adding that the NAACP will take the “necessary legal measures” to stop the administration’s actions.
Another lawsuit was filed on Monday by Democracy Forward on behalf of teachers, school districts, and unions, challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to shut down the department. Similarly, they argued that Trump lacked congressional approval to take such actions.
Plaintiffs in that complaint include the American Federation of Teachers, the American Association of University Professors, the Service Employees International Union, and two Massachusetts public school districts.
“Dismantling the federal government’s role—whether it’s by an illegal executive order or widespread firings to bring critical services and support to a halt—will cause the most harm to students with the greatest needs, greatly diminishing our ability to provide all children with a free and equal education,” American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts President Jessica Tang said in a March 24 statement.
