A federal judge has instructed President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate over 1,300 employees of the U.S. Department of Education. This decision comes in response to claims made by Democratic-led states that these individuals were subject to mass layoffs as part of efforts to dismantle the department.

U.S. District Judge Myong J. Lee in Boston issued a court order that prohibits the administration from proceeding with the planned layoffs. These cuts would have nearly halved the number of staff at the Department of Education compared to the figures when the Republican president initially took office in January.