In a lawsuit filed on April 25, 2025 in U.S. District Court of the District of Massachusetts, the attorneys general of 19 states contend that the US Department of Education (USDE) is placing “onerous” and “excruciatingly difficult” demands on states with an April directive that requires states and school districts…
In a case that is expected to have consequences for school districts’ financial liability in Section 504 and ADA cases, on April 27, 2025 the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) heard arguments in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, which began with a question of whether K-12 students with disabilities have to meet…
In a U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia April 24, 2025 ruling, supported the plaintiffs’ claim that the anti-DEI policy outlined in a Feb. 14 Dear Colleague letter is “unconstitutionally vague.” In particular, the policy would make enforcement difficult because it did not explain the difference between “a…
According to a joint status report submitted by plaintiffs and defendants, a lawsuit that was seen as a constitutional challenge against Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act will no longer be pursued. The states involved as plaintiffs in the case filed in September 2024 were: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,…
On April 24, 2025, a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s threats to withhold funding from school systems that have diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, saying the actions ”raise the specter of a public ‘witch hunt’ that will sow fear and doubt among teachers.” The preliminary injunction came in…
Near the end of this month, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) will hear three K-12 cases back-to-back in the last two weeks of April. On April 22nd, the Court will hear Mahmoud v. Taylor, a case brought against Maryland’s Montgomery County Board of Education over the LGBTQ+ inclusive language arts…
An April 9, 2025 court agreement has given school districts a short reprieve, until at least April 24th, from a Trump administration directive to certify they’re not using diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices, or risk losing federal funding. The agreement postpones the original U.S. Department of Education (USDE) 10-day…
On April 4, 2025, in a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to maintain a freeze on millions of dollars in federal teacher training grants. The administration’s emergency application, filed on March 26th, asked the justices to vacate a district court judge’s order…
In a March 26, 2025 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court (Court) decided in Bondi v. VanDerStok that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has the authority to regulate ghost guns as it does other firearms. Ghost guns are homemade guns assembled from kits purchased online and used…
In a March 6, 2025 lawsuit, the attorneys general for California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Wisconsin filed suit against the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) alleging the department “arbitrarily” and “improperly” terminated the grants. A subsequent March 10th temporary restraining order by the U.S. District…
