Trump Admin Asks Supreme Court To Freeze Deadlines In Biden-Era Cases
President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has requested that the Supreme Court pause several cases initiated during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
The cases primarily focus on Biden’s executive actions regarding student loan forgiveness and environmental regulations, according to Fox News.
“Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris filed several motions Friday asking the court to halt proceedings in the student loan case and three environmental cases while the new administration will ‘reassess the basis for and soundness’ of Biden’s policies,” the report stated.
The Supreme Court was set to hear oral arguments on these cases in March or April, with decisions anticipated later this term. However, Trump’s DOJ has requested the court suspend all written brief deadlines, potentially placing the cases on indefinite hold.
Under Biden’s Department of Education, more than 5 million students had their loans forgiven, but these policies faced significant legal challenges.
Several Republican state attorneys general argued that Biden had overstepped his authority by implementing student loan forgiveness without congressional approval.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked Biden’s "borrower defense" rule, which aimed to forgive loans for students defrauded by their schools, citing “numerous statutory and regulatory shortcomings.”
While the Supreme Court had agreed to hear these disputes, Trump’s administration has requested to freeze proceedings, signaling its intention to rescind Biden-era policies and render the cases moot.
The environmental cases, meanwhile, involve challenges to regulations imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during Biden’s presidency, Fox News reported.
In addition to requesting the pause, Trump has aggressively targeted Biden’s “radical left ‘climate’ agenda” through executive orders designed to boost domestic fossil fuel production.
One of these executive orders includes a declaration of an “energy emergency,” a move aimed at shielding the administration from some legal challenges related to new drilling and energy production initiatives.
According to Just the News, the shift represents one of the most significant changes in U.S. energy policy since the 1973 response to the oil export ban imposed by Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
During his term, Biden had signed numerous executive orders to advance his climate goals. These included rejoining the Paris Agreement, implementing stricter appliance efficiency standards, pausing liquefied natural gas export permits, and rolling out EPA power plant regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Trump’s “energy emergency” strategy prioritizes mining critical minerals for national security, expediting approvals for energy projects on public lands, and streamlining energy infrastructure development. Another executive order encourages expanded energy exploration in Alaska.
Trump has also reversed Biden’s restrictions on offshore drilling and rescinded multiple climate-related executive orders issued during the previous administration. Additionally, Trump has formally withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Agreement.
Jeff Reynolds, senior editor at Restoration News, suggested that Trump’s decisive rejection of Biden’s climate agenda may be informed by hindsight.
“Now he knows where the bodies are buried, and he’s ready to take a meat axe to everything that got in his way the first time,” Reynolds told Just the News.
Reynolds explained that while Trump recognized the importance of energy independence and a favorable regulatory environment during his first term, his approach this time is far less restrained after witnessing the actions taken by Biden’s administration.