US supreme court to hear Biden effort to reinstate student debt relief plan

Administration program to cancel billions of dollars of debt was blocked by lower court last month

The US supreme court on Thursday agreed to hear Joe Biden's attempt to reinstate his plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt after it was blocked by a lower court in a challenge by six states that have accused his administration of exceeding its authority.

The justices deferred taking action on the president's request to lift an injunction issued on 14 November by the St Louis-based eighth US circuit court of appeals blocking the program, but said in a brief order that they would hear oral arguments in the case in their session that runs from late February to early March.