Federal Judge Indefinitely Blocks Trump's Latest Layoffs

HEADLINES

Federal Judge Indefinitely Blocks Trump’s Latest Layoffs (Inside Higher Ed, October 29, 2025) The order, issued in San Francisco by Judge Susan Illston, built on an existing temporary restraining order. Now, while the remainder of the case is argued in court, the Trump administration will be barred from finalizing any of the estimated 4,000 layoffs … At the Education Department, nearly 500 employees were laid off. Those cuts spared the Office of Federal Student Aid but essentially gutted the Office of Postsecondary Education.

Trump’s Latest Layoffs Gut the Office of Postsecondary Ed (Inside Higher Ed, October 15, 2025) At the beginning of the year, OPE included five offices but now is down to the Office of Policy, Planning and Innovation, which includes oversight of accreditation, and the group working to update new policies and regulations.

NACIQI Meeting Delayed by Government Shutdown (Inside Higher Ed, October 14, 2025) The meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, originally slated to take place in July, had already been pushed back to Oct. 21. Now, as a result of the government shutdown, it’s been rescheduled for Dec. 16.

Western Accreditor Officially Drops DEI Standards (Inside Higher Ed, October 8, 2025) The Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission has formally adopted updated accreditation standards that eliminate all mention of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Texas Fights Back Against Woke Bar Association (Daily Signal, October 8, 2025) “The Court is of the tentative opinion that the ABA should no longer have the final say on whether a law school’s graduates are eligible to sit for the Texas bar exam and become licensed to practice law in Texas,” the Texas Supreme Court wrote. Florida’s Supreme Court is considering a similar step, and other states will likely follow suit.