NEW YORK, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump lost a suit on Wednesday to lift a federal judge's order temporarily blocking the U.S. Education Department from laying off about half of its more than 4,000 employees.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied the administration's request to put on hold an injunction by a lower-court judge. The injunction was sought by several Democratic-led states, school districts and teachers' unions.

The Department of Justice had pushed for a swift decision from the appeals court, aiming to escalate the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, where a 6-3 conservative majority might rule in its favor.

The legal challenge arose after Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced in March plans to terminate over 1,300 employees. Combined with 600 employees who are leaving voluntarily with buyout offers, the number of job cuts reached over 2,100, halving the department's workforce. ■