Under Trump’s directive the Department of Education laid off half its staff. The lawsuit argues Trump has no authority to make such drastic changes.

A group of states, including Michigan, argued in court that the Department is vital to providing educational services throughout the U.S.

California and other Democratic states allege Trump's cuts amount to an illegal shutdown of the Education Department's crucial, congressionally mandated work, including protecting civil rights.

The suit from 20 states and the District of Columbia comes two days after the federal agency fired more than 1,300 employees.

A group of Democratic state attorneys general on Thursday filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Department of Education from mass layoffs.