Court Cases

Education news, analysis, and opinion about lawsuits and legal proceedings
President Donald Trump holds up an executive order after signing it at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025.
President Donald Trump holds up an executive order after signing it at an indoor presidential inauguration parade event in Washington on Jan. 20, 2025. Trump's executive actions prompted legal challenges virtually from the moment he took office, and education-related policies were not immune.
Matt Rourke/AP
Law & Courts Trump's Education Policies Spurred 72 Lawsuits in 2025. How Many Is He Winning?
The legal challenges show which policies have had a big impact and how 2026 could go.
Matthew Stone, December 22, 2025
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5 min read
Photo illustration of legal books, scales and gavel.
iStock
Law & Courts From Ten Commandments to Tariffs: A Fall Legal Roundup
Key court cases on transgender rights, religion, speech, and policy could reshape U.S. schools.
Mark Walsh, December 22, 2025
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7 min read
State Superintendent Ryan Walters, right, listens during public comment at the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting on Thursday, April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City.
A court put on ice Oklahoma standards for social studies pushed by former state Superintendent Ryan Walters, pictured here listening to public comment at the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting on April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City.
Nick Oxford/Human Rights Campaign via AP
Social Studies Oklahoma Must Rework Social Studies Standards After Court Ruling
The controversial standards were approved without the legally required public notice, the court ruled.
Sarah Schwartz, December 17, 2025
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3 min read
Roman Martinez, an attorney with Latham & Watkins, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary 'Supreme Advocacy.'
Roman Martinez, a Washington lawyer who has played a role in four U.S. Supreme Court cases about the rights of special education students, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary "Supreme Advocacy."
via YouTube
Law & Courts How One Lawyer Helped Reshape Special Education at the Supreme Court
A documentary follows a lawyer behind major Supreme Court wins for students with disabilities.
Mark Walsh, December 15, 2025
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9 min read
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Minneapolis Public Schools for discrimination in its efforts to shield teachers of color from layoffs and reassignments.
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Minneapolis Public Schools for discrimination in its efforts to shield teachers of color from layoffs and reassignments.
Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
Equity & Diversity Trump Admin. Accuses Minneapolis Schools of Racism in Protecting Minority Teachers
The Justice Department has filed its latest suit alleging racism for efforts to boost teacher diversity.
Anthony Lonetree, Star Tribune, December 11, 2025
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2 min read
IQ test, paper sheet with test answer on the table
iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Supreme Court Weighs IQ Tests and Other School Records in Key Death Penalty Case
The court weighs the proper role of IQ tests for defendants claiming an intellectual disability.
Mark Walsh, December 11, 2025
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8 min read
A U.S. Supreme Court police officer walks in front of the Supreme Court amid renovations as the justices hear oral arguments on President Donald Trump's push to expand control over independent federal agencies in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8, 2025.
A U.S. Supreme Court police officer walks in front of the court amid renovations in Washington, on Dec. 8, 2025. The court took several actions in education cases, including ordering a lower court to take a fresh look at a lawsuit challenging a New York state law that ended religious exemptions to school vaccinations.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Orders New Review of Religious Exemptions to School Vaccines
The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a new look in a school vaccination case and declined to review library book removals.
Mark Walsh, December 8, 2025
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6 min read
A student visits a sensory room at a Topeka, KS elementary school, on Nov. 3, 2021.
A student visits a sensory room at an elementary school in Topeka, Kan., on Nov. 3, 2021. Schools have expanded their student mental health services in recent years, many with support from hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants that the Trump administration pulled earlier this year and have since been caught up in legal proceedings.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Education Funding A Guide to Where School Mental Health Grants Stand After a New Legal Twist
Temporary relief for one set of projects raises questions for other initiatives vying for federal money.
Matthew Stone, December 8, 2025
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5 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order to on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court will consider the legality of Trump's effort to limit birthright citizenship, another immigration policy that could affect schools.
Evan Vucci/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court to Weigh Birthright Citizenship. Why It Matters to Schools
The justices will review President Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship, a move that could affect schools.
Mark Walsh, December 5, 2025
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4 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon appears before the House Appropriation Panel about the 2026 budget in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon appears before a U.S. House of Representatives panel in Washington on May 21, 2025. McMahon's agency has inked seven agreements shifting core functions, including Title I for K-12 schools, to other federal agencies. Those moves, announced in November, have now drawn a legal challenge.
Jason Andrew for Education Week
Law & Courts 20 States Push Back as Ed. Dept. Hands Programs to Other Agencies
The Trump admin. says it wants to prove that moving programs out of the Ed. Dept. can work long-term.
Matthew Stone, December 1, 2025
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4 min read
Instructional coach Kristi Tucker posts notes to the board during a team meeting at Ford Elementary School in Laurens, S.C., on March 10, 2025.
Instructional coach Kristi Tucker posts notes to the board during a team meeting at Ford Elementary School in Laurens, S.C., on March 10, 2025. The grant funding this training work was among three teacher-preparation grant programs largely terminated by the Trump administration in its first weeks. Eight states filed a lawsuit challenging terminations in two of those programs, and a judge on Thursday said she couldn't restore the discontinued grants but could rule on whether the Trump administration acted legally.
Bryant Kirk White for Education Week
Law & Courts A New Twist in the Legal Battle Over Trump's Cancellation of Teacher-Prep Grants
A district court judge says she'll decide if the Trump administration broke the law.
Brooke Schultz, November 13, 2025
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4 min read
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent is seen in Park Ridge, Ill., Sept. 19, 2025. A lawsuit filed by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita accuses the Indianapolis schools of restricting ICE's access to school grounds.
Erin Hooley/AP
School & District Management School District Sued Over ‘Thwarting’ ICE Says Indiana AG’s Lawsuit Is ‘Silly’
The lawsuit says Indianapolis Public Schools blocked ICE from school grounds without a warrant or emergency.
Julia Marnin, The Herald (Rock Hill, S.C.), November 11, 2025
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4 min read
Screenshot of a portion of a response email blaming Democrat Senators for the government shutdown.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Federal Judge Tells Ed. Dept. to Remove Language Blaming Democrats From Staff Emails
The agency added language blaming "Democrat Senators" for the federal shutdown to staffers' out-of-office messages
Brooke Schultz, November 7, 2025
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3 min read
People arrive to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington.
People arrive to attend oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington. The court heard arguments in a major case on President Donald Trump's tariff policies, which are being challenged by two educational toy companies.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Law & Courts Educational Toymakers Sued Over Trump Tariffs. How Is the Supreme Court Leaning?
Most justices appeared skeptical of President Trump's tariff policies, challenged by two educational toymakers.
Mark Walsh, November 5, 2025
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3 min read
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