this post was submitted on 03 Nov 2025
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If you weren’t already super psyched for the Big Beautiful Bill borrowing caps making law school unaffordable for many, get ready to learn that most lawyerly public service is no longer getting loan forgiveness. Because public service itself is going to “illegal.”

The Trump administration’s ongoing war on the legal profession continues with the Department of Education releasing its finalized Public Service Loan Forgiveness rule — a process kicked off in March when Trump issued his Restoring Public Service Loan Forgiveness Executive Order — and while its impact will be felt across education, the new rule is especially brutal for law school graduates, with the DOE cutting off forgiveness to those causes it deems to be supporting “illegal activity.” And, if you hadn’t already guessed what it means to support “illegal” activity in this regime, they mean jobs like “representing immigrants” and “advocating for transgender rights.”

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[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 118 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Wouldn't this also include any form of defense law? Sounds like you wouldn't even be able to represent anyone in court who is being accused of "illegal activity", without losing your loan forgiveness.

[–] ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com 91 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

This is the point - authoritarian regimes make absurd laws that are vague and impossible to follow, so that prosecution can be fully politically-selective.

They will decide after the fact, without any objective standard, if your legal conduct is "illegal" for loan forgiveness purposes. (Maybe also criminal charges purposes, but I think they're saving that for next year after we all get used to this step.)

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 34 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Except this isn't even a law.

It wasn't passed or voted on by Congress.

It is a guideline, from the Dept. of Education.

So... yeah that's not a law, and thus... nothing can be said to be 'illegal' when not in compliance with it.

Had we a functioning government and legal system, that was not headed by a Supreme court that lols at the idea that precedent matters... well you could probably argue that this rule is itself illegal, unconstitutional.

But, alas, the law and order President actually just means that the law is whatever he says it is, so... moot point.

[–] Mirshe@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

He's the law and order president.

The law is whatever he orders it to be.

[–] ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yes, loose phrasing on my part. But agree completely.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Well, thats whole thing with laws and lawyers, its a knowledge set and way of thinking that... largely, essentially simply is a highly specialized form of pedantry, lol.

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 10 months ago

That's exactly the point. It's fucking cruel just like everything else they are doing.