A group fighting to block a plan to forgive student loan debt has submitted a petition to the Supreme Court seeking an emergency injunction after a website went live this week accepting applications for the program.
The group joins seven different state Attorneys General who are also fighting to keep the program from going into effect.
A copy of the petition to the Supreme Court, submitted by the Brown County Taxpayers Association in Green Bay, Wisc., can be accessed by clicking here.
The group filed its original lawsuit in Wisconsin federal court earlier this month, but a District Court judge dismissed the suit, saying the plaintiffs lacked standing to pursue their claims. That ruling was appealed, but the Appeals Court declined a request for an injunction to keep the program from going into effect while the appeal plays out. That prompted the group to petition the Supreme Court for a ruling.
The Biden Administration has overstepped its authority by launching a plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debts for individuals making less than $125,000 annually, according to the group. A plan like this needs approval by Congress and not just a thumbs up from the Oval Office, the group alleges.
Without any intercession, student loan debt forgiveness could begin as soon as this weekend.
The petition was submitted to Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has jurisdiction over the court in which the original case was filed. Published reports indicated she was likely to refer the petition to the entire Court for its consideration.
“There is no legal justification for this presidential usurpation of the constitutional spending power, which is reserved exclusively for Congress,” the group wrote in its petition. “This step, which is certainly a major question … is predicated on a law passed under different circumstances to accomplish different purposes for different beneficiaries.”
