Refused by Lower Courts, Right-Wing Group Asks SCOTUS to Stop Student Debt Relief
Just two days after U.S. President Joe Biden announced the formal launch of the application for his student debt relief plan, a right-wing group focused on tax policy in Wisconsin asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to temporarily block the program.
Unveiled in August, Biden’s plan is set to forgive up to $20,000 for federal borrowers who meet specific income requirements. While progressives have long pushed for even bolder debt cancellation, right-wing politicians and groups have taken aim at the administration’s more modest policy.
There are multiple ongoing legal challenges against the program, but the Wisconsin-based Brown County Taxpayers Association case is the first to reach the Supreme Court.
The group is asking the high court to block the plan as litigation against it moves forward, claiming the administration exceeded its authority and violated the Administrative Procedure Act, and absent intervention, the organization face irreparable harm because the policy “will deplete the federal treasury by a staggering amount.”
The filing first heads to Justice Amy Coney Barrett—one of the six right-wing justices—but she could refer the matter to the full court, which also includes three left-leaning justices.
The timeline for the court to weigh in is tight, with the application process underway. Millions of people submitted their online forms during beta testing over the weekend. The portal is open until the end of this year, but the White House is encouraging everyone eligible to apply by mid-November.
Over 40 million borrowers are eligible for some student debt relief and nearly 20 million of them could have their entire remaining balance wiped out by the program, according to the White House. Loan payments—which government has currently paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic—are likely going to resume in January.
Noting that a district court rejected the right-wing group’s request for lack of standing in just five pages and an appeals court did so with only a sentence, CNN analyst and University of Texas at Austin law professor Steve Vladeck projected that this case “is not going anywhere.”
David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect, pointed out that if the high court grants the Wisconsin group’s request, it could establish a major new precedent.
Originally published at Commondreams.org.
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