Supreme Court Ruling On Student Loan Forgiveness Could Come Tomorrow

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on President Joe Biden’s signature student loan forgiveness program as soon as Tuesday. And if not then, it will likely be issued this Thursday or Friday.

Here’s the latest.

Supreme Court Ruling On Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Expected Any Day

President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan could result in millions of borrowers receiving up to $20,000 in student debt relief. Borrowers with government-held federal student loans who earned income under $125,000 (or $250,000 for borrowers who filed taxes as married-filing-jointly) in 2020 or 2021 could be eligible. The program has been blocked for nearly a year as legal battles have played out in federal courts.

The Supreme Court held a blockbuster hearing in February on two legal challenges to Biden’s student debt relief plan. While a majority of the court seemed skeptical of the Biden administration’s legal authority to enact mass student loan forgiveness, several justices appeared concerned that the challengers did not have legal standing to sue. Standing is the concept that a challenger must demonstrate that they would be directly harmed by the federal law or policy at issue.

How To Access Supreme Court Decision On Student Loan Forgiveness

The Supreme Court has around 10 decisions from this term that remain to be released, including the ruling on Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. The next decision release date is Tuesday, June 27th, starting at 10 am. It’s unlikely that all of the Court’s remaining decisions will be released then, but several will be.

Decisions are posted on the Supreme Court’s website, one by one, as soon as they are released. So those interested in reading the decision as soon as it comes out can simply refresh that page starting at 10 am tomorrow.

You can also follow a live feed for reporters who are physically present at the Supreme Court when decisions are issued. While cameras are not permitted in the Court, reporters will often relay information in real time as soon as a decision is released. Supreme Court-focused reporting groups such as SCOTUSblog are good resources to follow on decision days.

If the student loan forgiveness ruling is not released tomorrow, it will likely come out later this week. The Court will probably announce further decision release dates tomorrow morning. Decisions are often released on Thursdays and Fridays. All decisions must be issued before the justices leave for their summer recess in early July.

Supreme Court May Have Already Left Some Clues On Student Loan Forgiveness

While millions of Americans await the Supreme Court’s decision, the justices may have already left some indirect clues as to how it might rule.

In two opinions released earlier this month — including one last week — a decisive majority of the court rejected challenges to federal laws and programs on the basis that state challengers did not have standing to sue. While the facts of each case are, of course, distinct, the legal conclusions could be applicable to the student loan forgiveness challenges. When the Court’s ruling is issued, watch for a discussion on standing.

Further Student Loan Forgiveness Reading

6 Key Student Loan Forgiveness And Repayment Dates To Write Down Now

If The Supreme Court Rejects Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan, Here Are Other Options

30 Million Borrowers May Face New Problems As Student Loan Pause Ends

4 Big Student Loan Updates When Payments Resume (And They Resume Soon)