Trump's DOJ surprisingly defends Biden student debt relief at Supreme Court

Trump's Justice Department announced on Jun. 2, 2025, that it will defend Biden's borrower defense rule at the Supreme Court, arguing the Education Department may discharge loans before default and on a group basis. (Source: Question 1)

Career Colleges & Schools of Texas, a trade organization representing private career institutions, filed the lawsuit challenging Biden's borrower defense rule. (Source: Question 2)

The Supreme Court narrowed its review to whether the Higher Education Act authorizes pre-default and group borrower defense relief, explicitly refusing to review the Fifth Circuit's nationwide injunction. (Source: Question 3)

In Jan. 2025, the Education Department cancelled loans for 150,000 borrowers, with the majority obtaining relief through the borrower defense process. (Source: Question 8)

Predatory colleges such as Corinthian and ITT Tech systematically defrauded entire classes of students using identical false recruitment and placement-rate claims, making group discharge authority essential for efficient relief. (Source: Question 5)

The Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo eliminated Chevron deference, requiring courts to interpret agency-administered statutes independently rather than deferring to agency interpretations. (Source: Question 6)

On Jan. 28, 2025, Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause its review of the borrower defense regulations to "reassess the basis for and soundness" of those rules before later deciding to defend them. (Source: Question 7)

Trump University was not an accredited university or college, conferred no degrees or credits, and functioned as a seminar program despite New York State Education Department warnings about the unlawful use of "university." (Source: Question 12)