President Biden's student debt relief plan was granted a victory this week by a Georgia judge, who removed one Republican challenger and allowed the plan to move forward for now after a temporary restraining order expires.
U.S. District Judge J. Randall Hall said Wednesday that Georgia has enough access to Biden's $73 billion student loan forgiveness plan, despite arguments that it would hurt tax revenue. He said he did not have standing to sue because he could not prove that significant damage would occur.
The ruling came a day before the temporary restraining order was set to expire, allowing the administration to continue the program while the case is transferred to Missouri.
Missouri, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota and Ohio have proposed new regulations this year that would help more than 27 million borrowers receive full or partial loan forgiveness. As a result, it initially sued the Biden administration.
“Without standing up, the state of Georgia cannot provide proper venue for the lawsuit because an incapacitated plaintiff cannot establish a venue in a location that does not exist unless he stands up,” Hall wrote. .
The judge has transferred the case to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, and the states have already asked the new judge to rule by Friday on whether to block the program, Reuters reported. reported.
The Hill has reached out to the Missouri Governor's Office and the Department of Education for comment.
