Education Law

Education funding freeze violates ‘multiple statutory and regulatory commands,’ says suit by Democratic states

A lawsuit filed Monday by Democratic officials in 24 states and the District of Columbia seeks the release of billions of dollars in federal education funding that has been frozen by the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Management and Budget. The decision to withhold $6.8 billion for…

Jul 15, 2025 12:34 PM CDT

Supreme Court decision allowing mass firings at Education Department ‘is indefensible,’ dissenters say

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed mass firings to proceed at the U.S. Education Department, prompting a vigorous dissent from the court’s three liberal justices. The Supreme Court stayed a May 22 preliminary injunction that ordered the department to restore nearly 1,400 fired employees to their jobs. Acting in…

Jul 15, 2025 9:43 AM CDT

Transgender teacher likely to fail in First Amendment challenge to Florida pronouns law, 11th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled against a teacher who challenged a Florida law barring K-12 public school employees from communicating their preferred pronouns to students in the classroom if they don’t comport with their sex assigned at birth.

Jul 7, 2025 11:40 AM CDT

SCOTUS rules for parents with religious objections to LGBTQ storybooks in schools

Parents with religious objections to LGBTQ-inclusive storybooks in public schools are likely to succeed on their constitutional claim that the school board must give them an opt-out option, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision Friday.

Jun 27, 2025 10:29 AM CDT

New Amazon Prime documentary explores high school ‘WebcamGate’

As a parent watching Amazon Prime’s Spy High, it’s scary to hear students talk about their school-issued computers’ webcams turning on by themselves. The documentary explores what happened in 2009 at a suburban Philadelphia high school, including a school accusation that then-student Blake Robbins sold drugs. This accusation was based…

Jun 25, 2025 2:14 PM CDT

Change in establishment clause test doesn’t save Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law, 5th Circuit says

A Louisiana law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

Jun 23, 2025 10:05 AM CDT

Judge suspends Trump’s latest bid to bar foreign students from Harvard

A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday swiftly suspended the latest attempt by the Trump administration to keep international students out of Harvard, a victory for the university amid a wider, winding legal war with the administration, which for weeks has been trying to force change at the elite institution.

Jun 6, 2025 8:55 AM CDT

Catholic charter school won’t receive state funding after Supreme Court splits on free exercise issue

A decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court striking down state funding for an online Catholic charter school remains intact after the U.S. Supreme Court split 4-4 on First Amendment issues in the case.

May 22, 2025 10:30 AM CDT

ABA objects to proposed changes in Public Service Loan Forgiveness program

The ABA opposes the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which the association says is “a vital tool for ensuring that the public receives critical public services.”

May 12, 2025 9:00 AM CDT

$2.6M settlement approved in suit claiming meditation program violated public school students’ religious rights

A federal judge in Chicago has approved a $2.6 million settlement in a class action lawsuit alleging that the Chicago Public Schools violated the establishment clause when it required students to participate in transcendental meditation or observe a half hour of silence.

May 8, 2025 12:53 PM CDT

Continued suspension of diversity standard suggested by ABA Legal Ed committee

The suspension of ABA accreditation Standard 206, originally titled “Diversity and Inclusion,” should be extended until Aug. 31, 2026, according to a May 2 memo from the standards committee of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

May 5, 2025 1:49 PM CDT

Chief justice appears to be ‘pivotal vote’ in challenge to state-funded religious school in Oklahoma

Does the First Amendment allow or require Oklahoma to fund a Catholic charter school? Chief Justice John Roberts emerged as “a pivotal vote" on that question during oral arguments Wednesday, Bloomberg Law reports.

Apr 30, 2025 3:44 PM CDT

Harvard Law Review investigated for alleged ‘spoils system’ that uses race in article selection

The federal government has opened an investigation into the Harvard Law Review “based on reports of race-based discrimination permeating the operations of the journal,” according to an April 28 press release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Apr 29, 2025 12:13 PM CDT

Supreme Court majority appears to side with parents who object to instruction using LGBTQ storybooks

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared ready to rule for parents who argue that they have a right to exclude their children from school lessons involving storybooks with LGBTQ characters and themes, according to publications that covered the oral arguments.

Apr 22, 2025 3:19 PM CDT

Did you default on your student loans? What to know as collections restart

The U.S. government will resume involuntary collections on defaulted federal student loans next month, the Education Department announced Monday, ending a five-year pause that began at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apr 22, 2025 12:30 PM CDT