"President Biden does not have the authority to forgive student loans, the Supreme Court said in a 6-to-3 decision that dooms the administration’s debt-relief plans.

The court’s conservative justices sided with six Republican attorneys general who argued that the administration didn’t have the authority to forgive federal student loans under a 2003 law. The attorneys from six states—Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina—alleged that the plan would harm state revenues and agencies that hold student loans.

Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., writing for the majority, said that the administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans for eligible Americans went beyond the waivers and modifications authorized under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003. The law allows the Education Department to waive or modify parts of the student loan program so that borrowers affected by war, military operation or national emergency—such as the coronavirus pandemic—don’t end up in a worse position financially.

The decision means that the millions of borrowers who were promised loan forgiveness will be denied that relief. About 26 million people applied and more than 16 million were approved for relief before a federal judge blocked the administration from moving forward with the plan. The administration had said the debt-cancellation plan would help prevent high rates of default and delinquency when payments resume later this summer," reports Inside Higher Ed.

Photo: Advocates rallied outside the Supreme Court in February to show support for the Biden administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loans for eligible Americans.Kent  Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images