Education Department’s public service student loan forgiveness program changes struck down

By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk at WSB-TV (ABC) - News · July 1, 2026 · 2 min read

Two federal judges have struck down an order that would have changed the U.S. Department of Education’s public service student loan forgiveness program. Read more trending news U.S. District Judge Myong Joun said the changes overstepped the DOE’s power and threatened to go against the First Amend...

Why this matters in The Atlanta

The ruling against changes to the public service student loan forgiveness program has significant implications for Atlanta's workforce, particularly in the nonprofit and government sectors. Many organizations in the city rely on employees with forgiven loans to staff critical public service roles. The struck-down rule would have disproportionately affected these groups, potentially forcing them to reevaluate their hiring practices and threatening the stability of essential services. With a large number of nonprofits and government agencies based in Atlanta, the city's residents may have been particularly hard hit by the changes. The fact that more than 1 million Americans had already had their loans forgiven under the original program suggests that many Atlantans may have benefited from the initiative, and the ruling may come as a relief to those who were concerned about the potential impact of the changes on their own loan forgiveness eligibility.

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Original reporting by WSB-TV (ABC) - News. The Atlanta surfaces reporting from trusted publishers and adds local editorial context so readers can quickly understand what a story means for their community. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page.

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Category: schools · Published: July 1, 2026 · Source: WSB-TV (ABC) - News · Reading time: 2 min

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