The Supreme Court has wrapped up more than three hours of debate over the Biden administration’s power to wipe out nearly a half a trillion dollars in student loan debt without direct authorization from Congress.
The court’s conservative justices, who hold a 6-3 majority on the court, expressed skepticism about Biden’s authority, with several questioning the fairness of a program that helps some borrowers, but not others.
Liberal justices, meanwhile, defended the Education Department’s right to forgive loan debt as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. And they voiced doubts about whether the six Republican-led states and two individuals who brought the legal challenges are specifically harmed by the debt-relief program, which they must be in order to have legal grounds to stop it.
