On June 2, the National Job Corps Association filed for a temporary restraining order on behalf of all private Job Corps operators, which was later granted by U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. of the Southern District of New York. On Wednesday, Carter granted the plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction following a June 17 hearing.

“Once Congress has passed legislation stating that a program like the Job Corps must exist, and set aside funding for that program, the DOL is not free to do as it pleases; it is required to enforce the law as intended by Congress,” Carter wrote in the 24-page order.

The DOL argued that the operational pause did not constitute a full closure and, as such, there was no need to follow congressionally-mandated protocols for center closures.

Wrote Carter: “The way that the DOL is shuttering operations and the context in which the shuttering is taking place make it clear that the DOL is actually attempting to close the centers.”

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Friday limited the ability of federal judges to grant nationwide injunctions. The immediate impact of that decision on the Job Corps ruling is unclear.

“Universal injunctions likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has given to federal courts,” wrote the court’s conservative majority.

Multiple factors had been cited in DOL’s decision to pause operations at contractor-operated centers. It was stated that a fiscal analysis had revealed the program is “no longer achieving the intended outcomes” for students. The department also cited the frequency of “serious incident reports” at Job Corps facilities.

Formed in 1964, the Job Corps program provides education, vocational training and support services for youth aged 16 to 24. There are roughly 120 Job Corps centers nationwide serving over 50,000 students annually, many of whom didn’t graduate from high school or are contending with other obstacles including disabilities and/or homelessness.

The Clearfield Job Corps center is operated by the Management & Training Corporation, or MTC. Earlier this month, MTC Director of Communications Emily Lawhead explained in an email to the Standard-Examiner that staffers had been working to find alternative training programs, employment, housing and other support for their students amid the announced pause.

Lawhead provided the following statement from MTC on Thursday: “The Clearfield Job Corps Center remains open and operational and MTC intends to continue operating the center in accordance with its ongoing contract with the Department of Labor.”

Meanwhile, a DOL spokesperson issued the following response: “The Department of Labor is working closely with the Department of Justice to evaluate the injunction. We remain confident that our actions are consistent with the law.”

Wrote Carter of the work students are doing within the Job Corps program: “Although older generations frequently bemoan the lack of determination and resilience in American youth, the students in the Job Corps program rebut this notion. The participants are all poor, and many resided in homeless shelters, were placed in foster care, or suffered physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Despite these obstacles, the participants have dedicated themselves to furthering their education with the hope that their efforts will lead to employment.”