Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey is celebrating a Thursday court decision blocking President Trump’s executive order to dismantle the U.S. Education Department.

A federal judge in Boston granted a request from Frey and 20 other attorneys general to temporarily block the administration’s plan to cut 50 percent of the department’s workforce.

“Today’s injunction is yet another in a series of wins that demonstrate the Trump administration is not above the law,” said Frey. “My colleagues and I will not stand by while our nation’s foundation is gutted and services that Mainers rely upon are destroyed.”

The judge’s decision orders the Education Department to reinstate federal workers who were terminated as part of a March layoff announcement.

The lawsuit from the attorneys general claims the executive branch does not have the legal authority to unilaterally dismantle the Education Department without an act of Congress.

The suit claims the layoffs left the department unable to carry out responsibilities required by Congress, including management of special education services, student loans and enforcement of civil rights laws.

The Trump administration is appealing the decision, referring to the judge as “far left” and “overstepping his bounds.”

President Trump has called for the closure of the Education Department, although the administration has said the layoffs are aimed at efficiency, not a department shutdown.

The Associated Press contributed to this report