State Attorney General Files Suit Challenging Mass Firings at U.S. Department of Education

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Thursday over the firing of nearly half of all workers at the U.S. Department of Education.

The firings, according to a press release, are “devastating the Department’s ability to carry out critical functions.”

The lawsuit states that President Donald Trump’s administration cannot abolish, disrupt or override the Department of Education and the programs that fall under it.

“Dismantling the Department of Education from within would have catastrophic consequences – and like many of the Trump Administration’s actions since taking office, is blatantly illegal,” said Bonta in a press release.

“It shouldn’t be too much to ask for a President to follow the law, but for the eighth time in as many weeks, we’ll see him in court.”

The Department of Education reduced its workforce on March 11 in a move that decreased the number of of its employees from 4,133 to about 2,183 workers.

The affected workers will be placed on administrative leave on March 21, according to a statement by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

Nearly 600 employees who were fired opted for Deferred Resignation to retain pay and benefits until September without having to work or a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment for a lump-sum payment upon resignation over the last seven weeks, according to McMahon.

The lawsuit states that the Trump Administration cannot undo acts of Congress that authorize the department, outline its responsibilities and control its funds.

The attorney general said the firings violate the separation of powers and the Administrative Procedures Act, which establishes how federal agencies are allowed to administer regulations like providing published notices and opportunities for public comment.

Attorneys general from Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York led the filing of the lawsuit alongside Bonta, and were joined by colleagues from 17 other states.

The lawsuit was filed against Trump, McMahon and the Department of Education.

There have been 121 legal challenges filed against the Trump administration since January.