Supreme Court Justice Barrett blocks second request to block Biden student loan forgiveness plan

A federal appeals court has already agreed to temporarily block the Biden plan.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett at her Senate confirmation hearing on October 13, 2020

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Friday again denied a request to block President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan – the second time in recents weeks she has rejected such a request.

Barrett handles emergency matters from several Midwestern states, and the case came from the libertarian group Pacific Legal Foundation, which appealed to the high court after it was denied by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, in Illinois.

The legal efforts by the group, the first to pose a legal challenge to the Biden plan, have failed twice in lower courts, with the first one using a PFL attorney as the plaintiff.

The group argued the plaintiff would suffer hardship as a result of the plan because he'd have to pay state taxes on the forgiven amount. The Biden administration subsequently made participation in the plan optional. 

Barrett last month denied a similar emergency request from a group of Wisconsin taxpayers, according to the Hill newspaper.