U.S. District Judge Randal Hall in Georgia made the ruling, according to CNBC, in relation to a suit brought by seven red states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Dakota, and Ohio, whose attorney general said the new student loan forgiveness plan was illegal.

The judge ruled that the states had no standing and that the matter should be decided in Missouri, which argues the forgiveness plan would affect Mohela, the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority.

The loan forgiveness plan would affect 3 in 4 federal student loan holders, according to a report by the Center for American Progress.

The plan is one of several attempts the Biden administration has put into practice to forgive student debt. The administration initially attempted to cancel $10,000 to $20,000 of debt in 2022. The current plan would cancel debt for those who owe more than what they initially received, those in repayment for decades, those from schools with low value, and those who qualify for forgiveness but have not yet applied.

An Education Department spokesperson slammed Republicans for attempting to stop the plan in responding to the ruling.

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“The fact remains that this lawsuit reflects an ongoing effort by Republican elected officials who want to prevent millions of their own constituents from getting breathing room on their student loans,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“We will not stop fighting to fix the broken student loan system and provide support and relief to borrowers across the country.”