A federal appeals court rejected the U.S. Department of Education’s bid to delay deadlines tied to borrower defense decisions affecting tens of thousands of claims. The decision keeps the government on the hook to deliver debt relief or automatic relief under the 2022 settlement in the Sweet v. McMahon class action. Under the Trump administration, Education Department officials sought an 18-month delay for a tranche of more than 250,000 applications, citing only partial completion by an original Jan. 28 deadline. The appeals court ruled the agency failed to show changed circumstances sufficient to modify the settlement. As of April, the department reported discharging or refunding $12 billion for nearly 300,000 borrowers. Advocates for borrowers warned the ruling moves the case closer to fulfilling relief promises for more than 170,000 borrowers, while the Education Department offered no comment in the report.