Court Cases

Education news, analysis, and opinion about lawsuits and legal proceedings
A student listens to instruction during an 8th grade science class at Aptos Middle School on January 27, 2020 in San Francisco.
A student listens to instruction during an 8th grade science class at Aptos Middle School on January 27, 2020 in San Francisco. Scholars and legal experts are still debating whether the Proposition 209 era in California offers lessons for the nation in the wake of the Supreme Court ending affirmative action in college admissions.
Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Equity & Diversity Will the Ban on Affirmative Action Hurt Diversity? Look to California
Proposition 209 prohibited the use of race in education. Its effects were debated before the U.S. Supreme Court this year.
Mark Walsh, December 4, 2023
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11 min read
Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) vice president Betsy Kippers leads a chant during a rally to protest Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill, at the Brown County Courthouse in downtown Green Bay on February 16, 2011.
Betsy Kippers, vice president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, leads a chant during a rally to protest Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, at the Brown County Courthouse in downtown Green Bay on February 16, 2011.
H. Marc Larson/The Green Bay Press-Gazette via AP
Law & Courts Wisconsin Teachers Sue to Restore Collective Bargaining Rights
The lawsuit takes fresh aim at a 2011 law that severely restricted bargaining, and has survived several legal challenges since.
Madeline Will, December 1, 2023
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6 min read
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor listens as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg pays tribute to O'Connor's advocacy work on behalf of civic education, impact on female judges and justice for women and girls worldwide at the Seneca Women Global Leadership Forum at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, on April 15, 2015 in Washington.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor listens to a tribute to her advocacy work on behalf of civics education and women's role in the legal profession at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, on April 15, 2015, in Washington.
Kevin Wolf/Invision for Seneca Women via AP Images
Law & Courts What Sandra Day O'Connor Did to Shape School Law and Civics Education
O'Connor wrote influential opinions on affirmative action, Title IX, and other education issues. Then she tirelessly worked on civics.
Mark Walsh, December 1, 2023
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10 min read
Image of money symbol, books, gavel, and scale of justice.
DigitalVision Vectors
Education Funding A Judge Just Ruled That Another State's School Funding System Is Unconstitutional
New Hampshire joins Pennsylvania on the list of states whose courts have ruled that it's underfunding poor school districts.
Mark Lieberman, November 27, 2023
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5 min read
Photo of collage of gavel and school building.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Faces New Challenges as State Lawsuits Pile Up
The lawsuits target new, broader state programs that allow parents to use public money for private school expenses.
Mark Lieberman, November 16, 2023
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6 min read
Gun safety and domestic violence prevention organizations gather outside of the Supreme Court before oral arguments are heard in United States v. Rahimi on Nov. 7, 2023, in Washington.
Gun safety and domestic violence prevention organizations gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court before oral arguments are heard in <i>United States</i> v. <i>Rahimi</i> on Nov. 7, 2023, in Washington.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
Law & Courts U.S. Supreme Court Takes Up Major Gun Case With School Safety in Backdrop
The principle that guns may be barred from schools may bolster a federal law restricting firearm possession by domestic abusers.
Mark Walsh, November 7, 2023
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6 min read
The sun rises behind the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Nov. 10, 2020.
The sun rises behind the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Nov. 10, 2020.
Alex Brandon/AP
Law & Courts What the Supreme Court Had to Say About School Board Members Blocking Constituents
The justices take up a case involving school board members who blocked some constituents from posting comments on public social media pages.
Mark Walsh, October 31, 2023
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7 min read
Laura BakerEducation Week via Canva (1)
Canva
Accountability Why a Judge Stopped Texas from Issuing A-F School Ratings
Districts argued the new metric would make it appear as if schools have worsened—even though outcomes have actually improved in many cases.
Evie Blad, October 27, 2023
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2 min read
Image of a phone on the floor near the feet of a girl sitting on the floor.
iStock/Getty
Law & Courts 41 States Sue Meta Over the Social Media Giant's Impact on Kids
States are suing Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, saying the social media giant harms children’s mental health.
Alyson Klein & Arianna Prothero, October 24, 2023
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7 min read
The setting sun illuminates the Supreme Court building in Washington on Jan. 10, 2023.
The setting sun illuminates the Supreme Court building in Washington on Jan. 10, 2023.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Law & Courts School Board Members' Use of Social Media Faces Key First Amendment Test in Supreme Court
The justices will decide whether school board members engaged in government action when they blocked parents who posted repetitive comments.
Mark Walsh, October 24, 2023
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9 min read
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks during a news conference, Feb. 21, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. At least part of a Republican-backed overhaul of Ohio’s K-12 education system will take effect as planned, despite a court order Monday, Oct. 2, delaying the changes after a lawsuit said they violate the constitution. DeWine says that the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce will replace the Ohio Department of Education on Oct. 3, and assures that operations like school funding, employee paychecks and other functions will continue.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine speaks during a news conference, Feb. 21, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio. His administration has sought to overhaul reading instruction; those plans now face pushback from some educators and training groups.
Matt Freed/AP
Reading & Literacy Reading Recovery Sues Ohio Over Ban on 'Cueing' in Literacy Instruction
The state is a key market for the teacher-training organization, which has used now-banned, context-based reading methods in its program.
Sarah Schwartz, October 18, 2023
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5 min read
Law themed still life featuring Themis statue, judge gavel and scale of justice in a law library.
iStock / Getty Images
Law & Courts State Judge Says 'Racially Isolated Districts Persist' in New Jersey
A state judge allows a narrowed claim to go forward that the state may be liable for pervasive racial isolation in its public schools.
Mark Walsh, October 17, 2023
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7 min read
Image of a gavel and a family symbol.
marchmeena29/iStock/Getty
Law & Courts District Can't Let Students Change Pronouns Without Parental Consent, Judge Rules
A Wisconsin judge said gender transitions are a medical issue over which parents have fundamental control, including on pronouns in school.
Mark Walsh, October 5, 2023
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4 min read
A poster is held at the Iowa Queer Student Alliance "We say gay" rally inside the Iowa State Capitol on March 8, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Iowa Queer Student Alliance holds a "We say gay" rally inside the Iowa State Capitol on March 8, 2023, in Des Moines. The legislature passed a bill last spring that prohibits school districts from providing false or misleading information to parents regarding their children's gender identity. A federal appeals court ruled that the new law made parts of a lawsuit against the Linn-Mar Community School District's policy moot, though the court revived a challenge to one part of the policy.
Margaret Kispert/The Des Moines Register via AP
Law & Courts Appeals Court Blocks District Policy That Requires Students to 'Respect' Gender Identity
The federal appeals court panel holds that the policy is likely unconstitutionally vague under the First Amendment.
Mark Walsh, September 29, 2023
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4 min read
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