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Biden v. Nebraska; Department of Education v. Brown

Location: Nebraska
Court Type: U.S. Supreme Court
Status: Closed (Judgment)
Last Update: February 27, 2023

What's at Stake

This case concerns whether the Department of Education acted within its administrative authority in issuing its student-borrower debt relief plan.

Challengers allege that the Department of Education鈥檚 student-debt relief plan was adopted in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act. The 老澳门开奖结果 joined the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and 20 other organizations, urging the Court to uphold the student debt relief program as lawfully enacted.

Amici argue that the student debt relief program provides critical relief to millions of lower-income borrowers, including millions of Black and Latinx borrowers who have shouldered severe and disproportionate blows from COVID-19.

Consistent with the terms of the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (鈥淗EROES鈥) Act, the Secretary鈥檚 plan is a necessary step to prevent an unprecedented economic fallout that will devastate lower-income communities, disproportionately burdening communities of color who were hardest hit by the pandemic. The plan would make millions of lower-income borrowers eligible for relief, ensuring all individuals are in a fair position to recover from the pandemic鈥檚 long-term economic effects. Should the Court fail to affirm the legality of the debt relief plan, such a decision would compound existing racial disparities and inflict grave financial harm to all borrowers. but again, disproportionately borrowers of color.

In a 6-3 decision invoking its newly minted 鈥渕ajor questions doctrine,鈥 the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration exceeded its statutory authority by seeking to cancel up to $400 billion in student loans, even though the statute allowed the President to 鈥渨aive鈥 terms in the loan contracts.

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