The decision clears the way for previously enacted mass layoffs and a shift in management of federal student aid services.

At the center of the Trump Department of Education overhaul is a plan that includes reducing the agency's workforce by nearly half and returning much of its authority to state governments. While the administration insists these moves are about efficiency and constitutional executive authority, critics argue it's a de facto attempt to dismantle the department—an act that would legally require congressional approval.

A federal judge in Massachusetts had previously barred these actions, but Monday's Supreme Court order reversed that stance without explanation from the majority. Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, warning the ruling could lead to "untold harm" by undermining civil rights protections and educational services for millions of students.