The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear oral arguments about President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program, an important step toward resolving a months long legal battle over whether the administration exceeded its authority when it decided to wipe out debt owed by tens of millions of Americans. In a brief order, the high court kept the program's implementation on pause. That means Biden will continue to be blocked from implementing loan forgiveness at least until the Supreme Court rules next year. The court said it would hear arguments in February. Six conservative states – Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina – told the Supreme Court that Biden overstepped his legal authority with the program and violated the constitutional principle of separation of powers by embarking on a loan forgiveness program estimated to affect 40 million Americans.