Court Cases

Education news, analysis, and opinion about lawsuits and legal proceedings
Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William O. Douglas is shown in an undated photo.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, shown in an undated photo, wrote the opinion in <i>Lau</i> v. <i>Nichols</i>, the 1974 decision holding that the San Francisco school system had denied Chinese-speaking schoolchildren a meaningful opportunity to participate in their education.
AP
Law & Courts In 1974, the Supreme Court Recognized English Learners' Rights. The Story Behind That Case
The Lau v. Nichols ruling said students have a right to a "meaningful opportunity" to participate in school, but its legacy is complex.
Mark Walsh, January 19, 2024
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12 min read
People stand on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
People stand on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Declines to Hear School District's Transgender Restroom Case
The case asked whether federal law protects transgender students on the use of school facilities that correspond to their gender identity.
Mark Walsh, January 16, 2024
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4 min read
Girl using smartphone with notifications of social media icons
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Classroom Technology Under Fire From Lawsuits, Meta Looks to Make It Harder for Teens to See Harmful Content
Educators have demanded social media companies do more to mitigate the damage their platforms have done to students’ emotional well-being.
Alyson Klein, January 9, 2024
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4 min read
The Supreme Court building is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 10, 2023.
The Supreme Court building is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 10, 2023.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Declines Case on Corporal Punishment for Student With Autism
The justices refused to hear the appeal of an 11-year-old Louisiana student who alleges that two educators slapped her on her wrists.
Mark Walsh, January 8, 2024
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3 min read
Conceptual illustration of business people, a roll of paper, and the people using computers, a magnifying glass and telescope with the year 2023 as a shadow below them.
Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/ Getty.
Budget & Finance 2023 in School Finance: Legal Fights, School Choice Debates, Persistent Inequities
Highlights of the year in school finance coverage include school funding lawsuits, private school choice legislation, and the looming financial storms brewing.
Mark Lieberman, December 22, 2023
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6 min read
First grader Geniss Gibbs practices reading skills at Eastern Elementary School in Washington, N.C., on May 23, 2022.
First grader Geniss Gibbs practices reading skills at Eastern Elementary School in Washington, N.C., on May 23, 2022.
Kate Medley for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Video How Reading Policy Evolved in 2023, And What's Ahead
Education Week’s curriculum and instruction reporter recaps developments in reading policy in 2023, and offers a look at what's ahead.
Sarah Schwartz & Kaylee Domzalski, December 21, 2023
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4:03
People protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington on June 29, 2023. The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
People demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, the day the court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. A new federal appeals court ruling says that race-neutral criteria for Boston's selective high schools is consistent with the high court's ruling.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts Court Backs Race-Neutral Criteria in Selective K-12 Schools
In a case involving Boston's "exam schools," the 1st Circuit said even admissions plans with a goal of boosting racial diversity pass muster.
Mark Walsh, December 20, 2023
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4 min read
In this Jan. 4, 2019 photo, workers and other officials gather outside the Sky Valley Education Center school in Monroe, Wash., before going inside to collect samples for testing. The samples were tested for PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, as well as dioxins and furans. A lawsuit filed on behalf of several families and teachers claims that officials failed to adequately respond to PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, in the school.
In this Jan. 4, 2019 photo, workers and other officials gather outside the Sky Valley Education Center school in Monroe, Wash., before going inside to collect samples for testing. The samples were tested for PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, as well as dioxins and furans. A jury this week ordered Bayer, the company that owns the manufacturer of PCBs, to pay $857 million to families affected by PCB exposure at Sky Valley.
Ted S. Warren/AP
Law & Courts Producers of Toxic Chemicals in Schools Owe Hundreds of Millions in Damages, Jury Says
Bayer, the company that owns Monsanto, owes more than $850 million to parents and children who suffered prolonged PCB exposure.
Mark Lieberman, December 19, 2023
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3 min read
Santaluces High School teacher Michael Woods stands in front of his school sign in Lantana, Fla., wearing his protest shirt "We Are All Human" in opposition to recent book bans by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 24, 2023. DeSantis is touting a series of measures he has pushed that have led to an upswing in banned or restricted books — not just in Florida schools but in an increasing number of other conservative states.
Santaluces High School teacher Michael Woods, standing in front of his school in Lantana, Fla., on May 24, 2023, wears a protest shirt in the colors of the pride and transgender flags. Now, Florida is being sued over a law prohibiting teachers from using pronouns that don't align with their sex at birth.
Jim Rassol/AP
Law & Courts Florida Teachers Sue Over State Law Restricting Their Pronoun Use
The teachers seek to overturn the measure, which prohibits them from using gender-neutral honorifics or pronouns that don't match their sex at birth.
Madeline Will, December 18, 2023
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5 min read
Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, far left, and other runners in the Connecticut girls Class S indoor track meet at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn on Feb. 7, 2019.
Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, far left, and other runners in the Connecticut girls Class S indoor track meet at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn., on Feb. 7, 2019.
Pat Eaton-Robb/AP
Law & Courts Lawsuit Over a Transgender School Sports Policy Revived by Federal Appeals Court
The 2nd Circuit court stressed that it was not deciding the underlying issue in the case of whether Title IX bars such a policy.
Mark Walsh, December 15, 2023
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3 min read
Illustration of a school building with a Venn diagram superimposed
iStock/Getty
School Choice & Charters 3 Decades In, Charter Schools Continue to Face Legal Challenges
Debates are raging in Kentucky and Montana over whether charter schools violate state constitutions.
Mark Lieberman, December 12, 2023
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6 min read
Photograph of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington DC, USA.
E+/Getty
Law & Courts How a Supreme Court Case on Job Transfers Will Impact Schools
The justices consider whether workers alleging employment discrimination must show that a lateral job transfer harmed them.
Mark Walsh, December 6, 2023
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8 min read
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
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