Court Cases

Education news, analysis, and opinion about lawsuits and legal proceedings
Julia Longoria has joined a federal lawsuit by Disability Rights Texas against Texas Governor Greg Abbott over his ban on mask mandates in public schools. Longoria argues that the executive order prevents her child, Juliana, who is medically at-risk, from being able to attend school safely. Juliana Ramirez, 8, a third grader at James Bonham Academy in San Antonio, Texas, has ADHD and severe asthma which puts her at risk of complications from COVID-19.
Julia Longoria has joined a federal lawsuit by Disability Rights Texas against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over his ban on mask mandates in public schools. Longoria argues that the executive order prevents her child, Juliana, 8, who is medically at risk, from being able to attend school safely.
Julia Robinson for Education Week
Families & the Community 'I Need You to Wear a Mask to Protect My Child.' A Mom Fights for Vulnerable Students
Some parents see a tension between their medically vulnerable children's safety and their educational needs during the pandemic.
Evie Blad, September 16, 2021
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8 min read
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Austin Police Association in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 10, 2020.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the Austin Police Association in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 10, 2020.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
Law & Courts Texas Attorney General Sues More School Districts That Require Masks
The Texas attorney general's office anticipates filing more lawsuits against districts flouting the governor’s order. Will Dallas be next?
Talia Richman and Meghan Mangrum, The Dallas Morning News, September 15, 2021
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4 min read
Image of a band-aid being placed on the arm.
iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Can They Do That? Questions Swirl Around COVID-19 School Vaccine Mandates
With at least one large school district adopting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, here is a look at the legal landscape for such a requirement.
Mark Walsh, September 10, 2021
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5 min read
The Supreme Court in Washington as seen on Oct. 7, 2020. After more than a decade in which the Supreme Court moved gradually toward more leniency for minors convicted of murder, the justices have moved the other way. The high court ruled 6-3 Thursday along ideological lines against a Mississippi inmate sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally stabbing his grandfather when the defendant was 15 years old. The case is important because it marks a break with the court’s previous rulings and is evidence of the impact of a newly more conservative court.
The U.S. Supreme Court as seen on Oct. 7, 2020.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts High Court Justice Rejects Student's Bid to Block Removal Over Sexual Harassment Claim
Justice Elena Kagan denied a California student's effort to return to school after his 'emergency' suspension under Title IX regulations.
Mark Walsh, September 7, 2021
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3 min read
Girl looking into smartphone facial recognition
Getty
Privacy & Security N.Y. School District's Facial Recognition System Remains on Hold, Lawsuit Dismissed
A law temporarily barring the use of biometric-based surveillance in New York schools supersedes a lawsuit from the state ACLU chapter.
Benjamin Joe, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y., September 7, 2021
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2 min read
A sign is seen outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
A sign is seen outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
Patrick Raycraft/Hartford Courant via TNS
Law & Courts Gunmaker Is Seeking School Records of Children Who Died in the Sandy Hook Massacre
Families want a court order to keep subpoenaed school records for five children and four educators who died in the 2012 attack confidential.
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, September 3, 2021
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2 min read
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis during a news conference, Thursday, April 8, 2021, at PortMiami in Miami.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks alongside Gov. Ron DeSantis during a news conference, Thursday, April 8, 2021, at PortMiami in Miami.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Law & Courts Florida Attorney General Joins Mask Mandate Legal Fight as State Defies Court Ruling
Fla. Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, said school districts must comply with the ban on mask mandates.
Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, September 2, 2021
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4 min read
Students sit in an Algebra class at Barbara Coleman Senior High School on the first day of school, in Miami Lakes, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2021. Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, Aug, 27, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order banning such mandates.
Students sit in an Algebra class at Barbara Coleman Senior High School on the first day of school, in Miami Lakes, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2021. Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, Aug, 27, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority when he issued an executive order banning such mandates.
Marta Lavandier/AP
School & District Management Florida Withholds School Board Salaries Over Mask Mandates
The state is withholding money to penalize districts that defy the ban on mask mandates, despite a ruling deeming that ban unconstitutional.
Scott Travis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 31, 2021
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5 min read
Image of a gavel.
Marilyn Nieves/E+
Law & Courts Virginia Supreme Court Backs Teacher Who Spoke Against Transgender Policy at Board Meeting
The state's high court upheld an injunction requiring the Loudoun County school district to reinstate elementary teacher Tanner Cross.
Mark Walsh, August 31, 2021
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3 min read
Image showing a gavel coming down on a medical face mask.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Law & Courts Mask Mandate Lawsuits Reflect Bigger Battle: Do States or Local Districts Control Schools?
Some legal clarity is forming over whether governors may restrict school districts from enacting mask mandates to fight COVID-19.
Mark Walsh, August 27, 2021
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9 min read
Gavin Grimm, who has become a national face for transgender students, speaks during a news conference held by The ACLU and the ACLU of Virginia at Slover Library in Norfolk, Va., on July 23, 2019. A federal appeals court is hearing arguments Tuesday, May 26, 2020, in the case of Grimm who sued a Virginia school board after he was barred as a student from using the boys’ bathrooms at his high school. A judge ruled last year that the Gloucester County School Board had discriminated against Grimm.
Gavin Grimm, who as a Virginia high school student was denied access to the boys' bathroom, has become a national face for transgender-student rights.
Kristen Zeis/The Daily Press via AP
Law & Courts School Board in Virginia to Pay $1.3 Million in Attorneys' Fees, Costs in Transgender Case
The suit involving then-student Gavin Grimm had spent years in the courts, while the issue of transgender-student rights remains volatile.
Mark Walsh, August 26, 2021
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3 min read
081721 Duval Schools BLM Teacher TNS BS
In this 2017 photo, Amy Donofrio records her students as they find out their group, EVAC Movement, was named winner of a national kindness challenge. Donofrio, a former teacher in Duval County, Fla., will receive a settlement from her former school district in a lawsuit she filed claiming she was unfairly fired for displaying a Black Lives Matter flag in her classroom.
Bruce Lipsky/The Florida Times-Union via TNS
Law & Courts Florida District to Pay Teacher at Center of Black Lives Matter Flag Controversy $300,000
Amy Donofrio made national news earlier this year, saying administrators told her to take down the Black Lives Matter flag from her doorway.
Emily Bloch, The Florida Times-Union, August 17, 2021
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1 min read
Image shows lady justice standing before an open law book and gavel.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Law & Courts School Districts Defying Texas Mask Ban Face Setback From State Supreme Court
The Texas Supreme Court stepped in to void temporary restraining orders that had allowed Dallas and San Antonio to impose mask mandates.
Chuck Lindell, Austin American-Statesman, August 16, 2021
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6 min read
Image shows a courtroom and gavel.
imaginima/E+
Law & Courts In Skirt Case, Appeals Court Says Title IX Bars Dress Codes That Discriminate Based on Sex
The court rules on a North Carolina charter school that requires girls to wear skirts, which the school's founder says promotes "chivalry."
Mark Walsh, August 9, 2021
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4 min read
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