The Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Donald Trump to proceed with his plan to dismantle the Department of Education and move forward with the layoffs of nearly 1,400 employees.

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In a 6-3 decision, the court on Monday temporarily blocked a lower court ruling from U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston, who had issued a preliminary injunction halting the layoffs and questioning the broader effort to eliminate the department. Judge Joun wrote that the proposed layoffs “will likely cripple the department.” A federal appeals court had previously declined to pause that ruling during the administration’s appeal.

The Supreme Court’s order allows the Trump administration to resume work on phasing out the department—one of Trump’s key campaign pledges.

As is typical in emergency appeals, the court did not offer an explanation for its decision. However, in a written dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the ruling, arguing that it permits legally dubious actions by the administration.

“When the Executive publicly announces its intent to break the law, and then executes on that promise, it is the Judiciary’s duty to check that lawlessness, not expedite it,” Sotomayor wrote for herself and Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan.

In response, Mitria Spotser, vice president of the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), made the following statement: “The law is clear. Only Congress holds the authority to dismantle the Department of Education. Yet today, by allowing the administration to all but wipe out the Department’s staff, the Supreme Court majority has condoned dismantling federal oversight of our nation’s education standards. This decision also places millions of borrowers at risk of faulty or delayed servicing of their student loans. That result should be unsettling for anyone who values the rule of law and long-term economic security of our country. 

“Already, we are seeing mounting delays in processing income-driven repayment (IDR) and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) applications. These layoffs will only worsen the existing backlog, threatening borrowers’ ability to receive timely and accurate credit toward loan forgiveness. Without a stable and fully staffed Department of Education, enforcement of student protections will also vary greatly across states.”