Court Cases

Education news, analysis, and opinion about lawsuits and legal proceedings
The Supreme Court is seen at day's end in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, as the justices prepare to begin the new term next week.
The U.S. Supreme Court, seen here in Washington on Oct. 1, 2026, appeared ready to side with Catholic preschools in challenging Colorado’s requirement that publicly funded providers sign an anti-discrimination pledge covering sexual orientation and gender identity.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Can This Religious Preschool Exclude LGBTQ Families and Still Get State Funding?
The Supreme Court appears ready to let Catholic preschools bypass Colorado’s LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination requirement.
Mark Walsh, November 3, 2026
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5 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon prepares for an interview at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon prepares for an interview at the Republican convention Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. The American Federation of Teachers says in a new lawsuit that the U.S. Department of Education is delaying loan forgiveness decisions for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, for which teachers qualify.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Teachers' Union Sues Trump Administration Over Student Loan Forgiveness
The American Federation of Teachers and nine student loan borrowers allege the agency is delaying Public Service Loan Forgiveness decisions.
Cris Tolomia, Quartz, November 2, 2026
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2 min read
Photo collage of the Supreme Court building with a diverse group of teens superimposed over it.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Law & Courts Can Public Schools Try to Boost Diversity? Admissions Policies Face a New Test
Challenges to race-neutral methods for selective admissions are continuing.
Mark Walsh, October 19, 2026
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6 min read
Becky Pepper-Jackson prepares to throw a discus Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, W.VA.
Becky Pepper-Jackson prepares to throw a discus on April 7, 2026, at Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, W.Va. Jackson's challenge of a West Virginia law barring transgender girls from girls' athletic teams ended up before the Supreme Court, which upheld the state's law. Now, the court could take on the question of whether Title IX requires that transgender athletes be excluded from teams that match their gender identity.
John Raby/AP
Law & Courts Trump Says Title IX Excludes Trans Girls. The Supreme Court Could Weigh In Next
It's the flip side of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding state laws that bar transgender girls.
Mark Walsh, October 9, 2026
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7 min read
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 10: (L to R) Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Frank O. Bowman III, professor emeritus of law, University of Missouri School of Law arrive to testify before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing titled "Havoc in the Heartland: How Secretary Mayorkas' Failed Leadership Has Impacted the States," at the U.S. Capitol on January 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. House Republicans have started their hearings into impeaching President Biden's Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, second from left, was a defendant in a lawsuit from the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation challenging a decision from the state's charter school authorizing board that denied the group's bid to open a charter school.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Law & Courts Federal Court Ruling Paves Way for Jewish Charter School in Oklahoma
A federal judge cleared the way for a Florida-based Jewish charter school network to open in the state.
Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton, Tulsa World, Okla., September 28, 2026
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4 min read
Collage of Trump signing an executive order, money, desks, torn paper, legal pad.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week with Getty + Evan Vucci/AP
Education Funding Trump's Education Funding Maneuvers Were Illegal, Judges Rule
Judges ruled in suits about teacher-training grant cancellations and withheld education research money.
Mark Lieberman, September 18, 2026
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4 min read
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 17: The U.S. Department of Justice Building on August 17, 2026 in Washington, DC.
The U.S. Department of Justice Building on Aug. 17, 2026 in Washington. The Justice Department has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Education to fight school and state policies concerning transgender students it deems objectionable.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Law & Courts Trump Admin. Turns to Student Privacy Laws in Gender Identity Fights With Schools
The feds are increasingly citing student privacy laws in gender-identity battles with school districts.
Mark Walsh, September 17, 2026
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8 min read
A collage of hate text messages that were directed toward a teacher in response to her social media post about Charlie Kirk's death. The group of text messages have foul language and people's names blurred out and appear on a dark black background.
A collage of messages show the invective directed towards a teacher in response to a social media post about Charlie Kirk's death.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week
Teaching Profession Disciplined for Charlie Kirk Posts, These Teachers Fought Back—And Won
Several of them won settlements. But the legal line for punishing teachers over speech remains murky and contested.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 11, 2026
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14 min read
EDUCWeek TracyByrd 23
Books in a Minneapolis high school classroom are seen on Jan. 22, 2026.
Caroline Yang for Education Week
States Court Lets a State Law Limiting Race, Gender Classroom Discussions Take Effect
The 2021 Oklahoma law was part of a wave of state laws limiting classroom race and gender discussions.
Curtis Killman, Tulsa World, Okla., September 11, 2026
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2 min read
Yair Lev stands by as a screen displaying an itinerary for a Lower Merion Board of School Directors meeting at the Lower Merion School District Administration Building on May 11, 2026, in Ardmore, Pa.
Yair Lev stands by as a screen displaying a document for a school district board of directors meeting at the Lower Merion school district administration building on May 11, 2026, in Ardmore, Pa. Lev is among a group of parents who have sued the Philadelphia-area school district seeking the ability to opt their children out of the required use of school technology.
Joe Lamberti/AP
Law & Courts These Parents Want to Opt Their Kids Out of Ed Tech. Can They Win in Court?
Parents in a Pennsylvania district say ed tech distracts from more meaningful learning.
Mark Walsh, September 8, 2026
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10 min read
CLOVIS, CA MAY 30, 2026: Transgender athlete AB Hernandez, center, competed in three qualifying events at the CIF State Track Championship in Clovis, CA on May 30, 2026. Hernandez placed first in qualifying for the long jump on Friday. Hernandez competes in the finals on Saturday in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez, center, competed in three qualifying events at the CIF State Track Championship in Clovis, Calif., on May 30, 2026. The Trump administration sued California over its policy allowing transgender girls to compete on girls' athletic teams. A judge has dismissed that lawsuit.
Tomas Ovalle / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Law & Courts Title IX Doesn't Require Transgender Athletes' Exclusion, Judge Rules
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from the Trump administration alleging California violated Title IX.
Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2026
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4 min read
Acting Deputy Executive Associate Director at Homeland Security Investigations Matthew Millhollin holds a Department of Justice folder during a news conference to announce charges being brought against Chinese nationals involved in a marriage fraud scheme at the Department of Justice on Aug. 12, 2026 in Washington, D.C. The group have been accused of running a scheme where foreign nationals paid money to American citizens for fraudulent marriages in order to receive green cards then immediately filed for divorce once permanent residency in the U.S. had been established. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)
An official holds a Department of Justice folder during a news conference on Aug. 12, 2026 in Washington. The DOJ sued the Kansas City, Kan., public schools over guidelines addressing how school staff address students who request to go by pronouns that differ from their sex at birth.
Samuel Corum/Sipa USA via AP
Law & Courts Trump Admin. Says School District Facilitates 'Gender Transitions,' Files Suit
The lawsuit comes after several months of back and forth with the Kansas City, Kan., public schools.
Sofi Zeman, The Kansas City Star, September 1, 2026
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2 min read
Attorney's representing multiple states pose for a photograph outside court after after tech giant Meta reached a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026.
Attorneys representing multiple states pose for a photograph outside a federal court in Oakland, Calif., after after tech giant Meta reached a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction on Aug. 26, 2026. The settlement terms and payments could have major effects on students and schools, according to legal and technology experts.
Noah Berger/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Billions Will Flow to States Through Meta Settlement. Will Schools Benefit?
Schools could share in the payout. Meta's design feature changes could also help, experts say.
Arianna Prothero, August 28, 2026
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7 min read
The office of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, one of Nebraska's few abortion clinics, is seen in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022.
The office of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, one of Nebraska's few abortion clinics, is seen in Omaha, Neb., on Oct. 19, 2022. The organization is part of a coalition of affected grantees affected by the Trump administration funding for teen pregnancy programs.
Josh Funk/AP
Law & Courts Court Blocks Trump Admin.'s Abstinence Emphasis in Teen Pregnancy Program
HHS revamped the grant with new requirements that align with conservative priorities.
Lauraine Langreo, August 24, 2026
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3 min read