The highly awaited decision in the dual lawsuits over President Biden’s student loan wipeout plan will likely be released no later than Friday as the Supreme Court wraps up its term.
Biden’s plan would forgive up to $20,000 in debt per borrower and could be a massive relief to millions of Americans who are likely to struggle when loan payments resume in October.
Supporters of student loan forgiveness are bracing for bad news, as Biden’s plan may have a tough time making it through the Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority.
In recent years, the court’s conservatives have increasingly struck down executive branch policies with major economic and political significance. They’ve ruled that such policies require clear authorization from Congress.
Conservative justices also seemed skeptical of Biden’s power during oral arguments earlier this year, even though progressive legal scholars insist the president has clear constitutional authority to wipe out the loans.
Even so, there is a narrow path through which the Supreme Court could dismiss the challenge to Biden’s debt relief plan without actually ruling on its constitutionality.
The Biden administration contends that defendants in both lawsuits lacked the legal standing to challenge the administration’s plan. The court’s liberal justices and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, pressed hard on those issues during oral arguments.
The Hill’s Lexi Lonas and Zach Schonfeld have more here.
