Mark Walsh

1 week ago | edweek.org | Mark Walsh

Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, a staunch defender of racial equity and the constitutional separation of church and state in education, died Thursday at home in New Hampshire, the court announced on Friday. He was 85. Souter was appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 to succeed liberal stalwart Justice William J. Brennan Jr. Over the next 19 years, he became a reliably liberal vote in several areas of school law before being succeeded by Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2009.

2 weeks ago | edweek.org | Mark Walsh

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared open to arguments that Oklahoma must allow a religious charter school, though the recusal of one conservative justice contributed to uncertainty about the outcome. Four of the conservatives participating in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond appeared likely to support St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would be sponsored and controlled by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and Diocese of Tulsa.

2 weeks ago | edweek.org | Mark Walsh

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday appeared likely to rule in favor of a Minnesota student with a severe form of epilepsy by tossing out a federal appeals court standard that makes it more difficult for families to prevail against school districts under two key federal disability-discrimination laws. The main question after nearly 90 minutes of an often technical but sometimes fiery oral argument in A.J.T. v.

2 weeks ago | edweek.org | Mark Walsh

There are two distinct legal questions before the U.S. Supreme Court as it hears arguments this week in a major case over a religious charter school in Oklahoma. Both are infused with deep ideological divides over the legacy of private religious education in the United States, the more recent history of charter schools and choice in public education, and the future landscape of public and private schooling. The first question in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v.

3 weeks ago | edweek.org | Mark Walsh

Of the three school cases the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing this month, two have drawn widespread attention for their potential to significantly reshape public education. One is about whether parents with religious objections may opt their children out of LGBTQ+ storybooks. Another is about whether public funding may be provided to a religious charter school. The third case has received far less attention, but is being watched just as closely by educators. A.J.T. v.