The U.S. Supreme Court this term will hear several cases of interest to educators and school officials.
Voting Rights
Reno v. Bossier Parish School Board
The court will use the case involving a formerly all-white Louisiana school board’s redistricting plan to determine the limits on the use of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to force the creation of minority-dominated voting districts.
Tax Exemptions for Nonprofit Institutions
Camps Newfound/Owatonna v. Town of Harrison, Maine
The court will examine whether Maine may deny a property-tax exemption to a nonprofit children’s camp that primarily serves people from outside the state.
Drug Testing
Chandler v. Miller
A 1990 Georgia law that requires candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, state schools superintendent, and others to submit to drug testing was upheld by a federal appeals court in the face of a challenge from several Libertarian Party candidates.
Official English
Arizonans for Official English v. Arizona
Federal courts struck down a 1988 Arizona constitutional amendment that requires the use of English in all “government functions and actions.’' The high court will consider the constitutionality of the measure only if it first determines that the private group defending it has proper legal standing.
Employment Discrimination
Robinson v. Shell Oil Co.
The court will examine whether the main federal job-discrimination law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, applies to alleged retaliation by an employer against a former employee who had filed a discrimination charge.
Walters v. Metro Educational Enterprises
The court is expected to clarify how small employers should tabulate their number of employees to determine whether they fall under Title VII.
