The Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 that the Biden administration lacks the authority to eliminate nearly $500 billion in student debt. This decision denies relief to around 40 million Americans, who could have had up to $20,000 in student debt forgiven through the HEROES Act plan.
On Friday, the Supreme Court made two decisions regarding student loan forgiveness. The first decision involved whether two private citizens had the right to challenge the plan. The court unanimously ruled that the pair did not have standing, resulting in the dismissal of their challenge.
However, in the case of Missouri and five other states challenging the forgiveness plan, the court determined that Missouri had legal standing. This allowed the court to consider whether the secretary of education could use the HEROES Act to forgive student loan debt.
This is how the Supreme Court justices voted on the case:
Justices Opposing Student Loan Forgiveness
Chief Justice John Roberts voted against the student loan forgiveness plan and delivered the majority opinion. He stated that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has the authority to waive or modify the HEROES Act but not to completely rewrite it. Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett also voted against the plan.
Barrett filed a concurring opinion, emphasizing that the court can only uphold the loan cancellation program if there is clear congressional authorization.
Justices Supporting Student Loan Forgiveness
The court’s three liberal justices, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, disagreed with the decision. Kagan filed a dissent, referring to the decision to allow the case and vote on it as an overreach. She argued that the secretary’s loan forgiveness plan fell within the broad authority conferred by the HEROES Act and aligned with the framework set by the statute.
Melissa Quinn contributed to this report.
Kerry Breen
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