Photo:Chip Somodevilla/ Staff/Getty ImagesThe Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administration’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for American borrowers, concluding one of the most closely watched cases of the year.The 6-3 ruling inBiden v. Nebraskafell on ideological lines, with the conservative justices determining that PresidentJoe Bidenand his education secretary lack the power to cancel student loan debt, which would be a decision from Congress.“The question here is not whether something should be done; it is who has the authority to do it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion of the court.A White House source tells PEOPLE that Biden will have more to say about the decision on Friday. “While we strongly disagree with the court, we were prepared for this scenario,” the source says. “The President will make clear he’s not done fighting yet, and will announce new actions to protect student loan borrowers.“The current Supreme Court justices, who ruled 6-3 to block President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via GettyIn Justice Roberts' Friday opinion, he included an unusual plea for Americans to not discount the Supreme Court’s ruling as political.“It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary,” the opinion reads, adding, “our precedent—old and new—requires that Congress speak clearly before a Department Secretary can unilaterally alter large sections of the American economy.“He continued: “We have employed the traditional tools of judicial decision-making in doing so. Reasonable minds may disagree with our analysis—in fact, at least three do,” referring to the three liberal justices who dissented.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.Biden revealed his long-awaitedstudent loan forgiveness planin August 2022. Under the plan, non-Pell Grant recipients would have up to $10,000 in student loan debt canceled if they make less than $125,000 per year. Pell Grant recipients would be eligible for up to $20,000 in cancellation if they meet the same income requirement. Married couples must make less than $250,000 per year combined to qualify for loan forgiveness.Of the 43 million borrowers who are eligible for the plan, the White House believes “20 million of them will have their debt totally wiped away and about two-thirds of them will have half or more of their debt wiped out,” Kate Berner, White House deputy communications director, told PEOPLE at the time.The student debt relief plan was almost immediately challenged in court, with one challenge coming from student loan borrowers who argued they were unfairly excluded from the loan forgiveness plan because they were not Pell Grant recipients.One case led an appeals court to uphold a Texas judge’s decision to block the plan while another led a federal judge to freeze the rollout of the loan forgiveness program after six Republican-led states sued the Biden administration over the plan.The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the student debt cancellation cases in February.
Photo:Chip Somodevilla/ Staff/Getty Images
Chip Somodevilla/ Staff/Getty Images
The Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administration’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for American borrowers, concluding one of the most closely watched cases of the year.The 6-3 ruling inBiden v. Nebraskafell on ideological lines, with the conservative justices determining that PresidentJoe Bidenand his education secretary lack the power to cancel student loan debt, which would be a decision from Congress.“The question here is not whether something should be done; it is who has the authority to do it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion of the court.A White House source tells PEOPLE that Biden will have more to say about the decision on Friday. “While we strongly disagree with the court, we were prepared for this scenario,” the source says. “The President will make clear he’s not done fighting yet, and will announce new actions to protect student loan borrowers.“The current Supreme Court justices, who ruled 6-3 to block President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via GettyIn Justice Roberts' Friday opinion, he included an unusual plea for Americans to not discount the Supreme Court’s ruling as political.“It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary,” the opinion reads, adding, “our precedent—old and new—requires that Congress speak clearly before a Department Secretary can unilaterally alter large sections of the American economy.“He continued: “We have employed the traditional tools of judicial decision-making in doing so. Reasonable minds may disagree with our analysis—in fact, at least three do,” referring to the three liberal justices who dissented.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.Biden revealed his long-awaitedstudent loan forgiveness planin August 2022. Under the plan, non-Pell Grant recipients would have up to $10,000 in student loan debt canceled if they make less than $125,000 per year. Pell Grant recipients would be eligible for up to $20,000 in cancellation if they meet the same income requirement. Married couples must make less than $250,000 per year combined to qualify for loan forgiveness.Of the 43 million borrowers who are eligible for the plan, the White House believes “20 million of them will have their debt totally wiped away and about two-thirds of them will have half or more of their debt wiped out,” Kate Berner, White House deputy communications director, told PEOPLE at the time.The student debt relief plan was almost immediately challenged in court, with one challenge coming from student loan borrowers who argued they were unfairly excluded from the loan forgiveness plan because they were not Pell Grant recipients.One case led an appeals court to uphold a Texas judge’s decision to block the plan while another led a federal judge to freeze the rollout of the loan forgiveness program after six Republican-led states sued the Biden administration over the plan.The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the student debt cancellation cases in February.
The Supreme Court has struck down the Biden administration’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for American borrowers, concluding one of the most closely watched cases of the year.
The 6-3 ruling inBiden v. Nebraskafell on ideological lines, with the conservative justices determining that PresidentJoe Bidenand his education secretary lack the power to cancel student loan debt, which would be a decision from Congress.
“The question here is not whether something should be done; it is who has the authority to do it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the opinion of the court.
A White House source tells PEOPLE that Biden will have more to say about the decision on Friday. “While we strongly disagree with the court, we were prepared for this scenario,” the source says. “The President will make clear he’s not done fighting yet, and will announce new actions to protect student loan borrowers.”
The current Supreme Court justices, who ruled 6-3 to block President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty
In Justice Roberts' Friday opinion, he included an unusual plea for Americans to not discount the Supreme Court’s ruling as political.
“It has become a disturbing feature of some recent opinions to criticize the decisions with which they disagree as going beyond the proper role of the judiciary,” the opinion reads, adding, “our precedent—old and new—requires that Congress speak clearly before a Department Secretary can unilaterally alter large sections of the American economy.”
He continued: “We have employed the traditional tools of judicial decision-making in doing so. Reasonable minds may disagree with our analysis—in fact, at least three do,” referring to the three liberal justices who dissented.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer.
Biden revealed his long-awaitedstudent loan forgiveness planin August 2022. Under the plan, non-Pell Grant recipients would have up to $10,000 in student loan debt canceled if they make less than $125,000 per year. Pell Grant recipients would be eligible for up to $20,000 in cancellation if they meet the same income requirement. Married couples must make less than $250,000 per year combined to qualify for loan forgiveness.
Of the 43 million borrowers who are eligible for the plan, the White House believes “20 million of them will have their debt totally wiped away and about two-thirds of them will have half or more of their debt wiped out,” Kate Berner, White House deputy communications director, told PEOPLE at the time.
The student debt relief plan was almost immediately challenged in court, with one challenge coming from student loan borrowers who argued they were unfairly excluded from the loan forgiveness plan because they were not Pell Grant recipients.
One case led an appeals court to uphold a Texas judge’s decision to block the plan while another led a federal judge to freeze the rollout of the loan forgiveness program after six Republican-led states sued the Biden administration over the plan.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the student debt cancellation cases in February.
source: people.com
