WASHINGTON — A divided United States Supreme Court gave President Donald Trump the green light on Monday to resume dismantling the Education Department.

The conservative-dominated court, in an unsigned order, lifted a stay that a federal district judge had placed on mass layoffs at the department.

The three liberal justices on the nine-member panel dissented.

Trump pledged during his White House campaign to eliminate the Education Department, which was created by an act of Congress in 1979, and he moved in March to slash its workforce by nearly half.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the court's action on Monday a "significant win for students and families".

Around 20 states joined teachers' unions in challenging the move in court, arguing that the Republican president was violating the principle of separation of powers by encroaching on Congress' prerogatives.

In May, District Judge Myong Joun ordered the reinstatement of hundreds of fired Education Department employees.

The Supreme Court lifted the judge's order without explanation, just days after another ruling that cleared the way for Trump to carry out mass firings of federal workers in other government departments.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissent joined by justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, said in the Education ruling that "only Congress has the power to abolish the Department".

"The majority is either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naive, but either way, the threat to our Constitution's separation of powers is grave," Sotomayor said.

Traditionally, the federal government has had a limited role in education, with only about 13 percent of funding for primary and secondary schools coming from federal coffers, the rest being funded by states and local communities.

However, federal funding is invaluable for low-income schools and students with special needs. And the federal government has been essential in enforcing key civil rights protections for students.

In another development, more than 20 states sued the Trump administration on Monday over billions of dollars in frozen education funding for after-school care, summer programs and more.

Led by California, the lawsuit alleges withholding the money violates the Constitution and several federal laws. Many low-income families will lose access to after-school programs if the money is not released soon, according to the suit.

Agencies Via Xinhua