Nineteen attorneys general sued Education Secretary Betsy DeVos this week, over delaying rules designed to protect students who attend for-profit colleges.

The rules, which had been scheduled to go into effect on July 1, would have prevented for-profit colleges from forcing students to sign agreements that would waive their right to sue the schools. The rules had been crafted under the Obama administration, but DeVos blocked the rules from going into effect.

(For more on the rules and the lawsuit, here’s an article from Education Week.)

It’s the latest step in a looming legal and political battle over for-profit colleges — and the new court case has partisan overtones.

The federal lawsuit was filed by attorneys general in 18 states and the District of Columbia. All the plaintiffs are Democrats.

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, a Republican, was not a party to the suit, Wasden spokesman Scott Graf told Idaho Education News Friday.