New York AG Letitia James leads lawsuit against Trump administration over Education Dept firings

New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday led a coalition of 20 other state attorneys general in suing the Trump administration over its decision to fire more than 1,300 Education Department employees.

The department began firing employees on Tuesday as part of the Trump administration's massive restructuring and reorganization of the federal workforce. Thousands of other federal employees have been laid off in other departments of the government.

James filed the suit in a federal court in Massachusetts, where she claimed the terminations were “illegal and unconstitutional.”

“Firing half of the Department of Education’s work force will hurt students throughout New York and the nation, especially low-income students and those with disabilities who rely on federal funding,” James said in a news release. “This outrageous effort to leave students behind and deprive them of a quality education is reckless and illegal.”

The attorneys general also claimed that the firings will impact “nearly every aspect” of the K-12 education in their states, per the New York Times.

The White House pushed back on the characterization, stating that the president's actions have been legal and fulfill a promise he made to the American people when he was elected, the outlet reported. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the layoffs will not affect student loans or federal funding for disabled students.

The suit also consisted of attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.