 Other parts of the plan were blocked last month by a U.S. district judge in St. Louis. The plan would lower monthly payments for eligible borrowers and allow those with balances of $12,000 or less to have their debt forgiven after 10 years. The ruling came the same day that another round of student debt forgiveness was announced. This time around, it was $1.2 billion in relief for public sector workers like teachers, nurses, and firefighters.