News Clips
- January 09, 2012 | Baltimore Sun HBCU Lawsuit: A Troubled Legacy "Our view: Maryland's historically black colleges and universities were underfunded during the era of segregation; now the state must find a way to empower them to compete effectively with their traditionally white peers."
- January 09, 2012 Reporting on the Maryland Historically Black Colleges and Universities Case and Trial The Lawyers' Committee and pro bono partners are currently in court fighting to dismantle remaining vestiges of de jure segregation in the Maryland higher education system and seeking equality for Maryland's HBCUs. Links to all recent articles written about The Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education v. Maryland Higher Education Commission are available here.
- January 03, 2012 Maryland Higher Education Desegregation Trial Begins As we prepare to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, we should reflect upon some of the subtle inequalities that still exist in our country today. Very close to our nation’s capital, a federal court will hear a lawsuit that questions whether the State of Maryland has satisfied its legal obligation to dismantle vestiges of its former segregated higher education system from the state’s historically black public universities. Nearly 58 years after the decision in Brown vs. Board of Education, this is the issue at the heart of a five- year-old case (The Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education v. Maryland Higher Education Commission) in Maryland’s U.S. District Court – the first of its kind in the state and the first of its kind in the nation to go to trial in some 16 years.
- January 03, 2012 | Wall Street Journal Maryland School Segregation Case Goes to Trial "More than a half-century after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed segregation in public education, a court will decide if Maryland is doing enough to support the state's historically black public colleges and universities. A lawsuit brought by a group largely made up of students and alumni from these schools, and headed to trial Tuesday in a Baltimore federal court, accuses the state of repeatedly failing to fulfill promises to desegregate the schools."
- December 28, 2011 | Baltimore Sun Maryland Fails to Keep Its Promise to HBCUs: Lawsuit Demands Historically Black Institutions be Brought on Par with Historically White Ones Maryland is attempting to renege on its obligation to provide sufficient funding to make its historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) comparable and competitive with other public universities in Maryland in terms of mission, academic program offerings, library services, information technology infrastructure, and other facets of their operations. For five years, the state has vigorously opposed a lawsuit by HBCU students and alumni that seeks to dismantle remnants of the formerly segregated higher education system. The case, the Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education v. Maryland's Higher Education Commission, is the first of its kind in the state and the first of its kind in the nation to go to trial in some 16 years.
- December 22, 2011 | AFRO The Rocky Road Following Brown vs Board of Education: HBCU 'Equality' Lawsuit While the Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education Inc. sued the Maryland Higher Education Commission in 2006, the lawsuit – which goes to trial Jan. 3 in a Baltimore federal court – is really rooted in more than 50 years of education litigation, beginning with the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
- December 15, 2011 | AFRO HBCU ‘Equality’ Lawsuit: The Battle to Correct the Inequities Against Maryland’s Black Colleges The road has been an arduous one, but a lawsuit filed more than five years ago seeking $2.1 billion to remedy what it contends are disparities between Maryland’s historically Black colleges and universities and its traditionally White institutions is nearing trial in Baltimore. Its outcome could affect higher education for decades to come.
- December 14, 2011 | AFRO Maryland's Ugly Segregated Past Must Be Shown Among the rulings U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake made during Tuesday’s pre-trial hearing were that historical reports from as far back as 1937 could be admitted into evidence and that the leaders of two of Maryland’s historically Black colleges could testify at the hearing that begins next month.
- December 13, 2011 | NPR Does School Choice Really Help Students? Natalie Hopkinson offers her critical assessment of charter schools - and why she believes they fail to live up to the hype.
- December 11, 2011 | Politic365 Racial Integration and Educational Quality Since the founding of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in 1963, we have supported integration and diversity in public schools, following the mandate of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that “in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.”
- December 02, 2011 DOJ and DOE Issue Guidance on Diversity Policies in Educational Institutions Today, the United States Department of Education (ED) and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) jointly issued guidance that explains how educational institutions can lawfully pursue voluntary policies to achieve diversity or avoid racial isolation within the framework of Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and current case law. The new guidance documents review three key Supreme Court rulings on the use of race by educational institutions, and provide examples of options that schools and postsecondary institutions may wish to consider in structuring programs that lawfully further diversity or reduce racial isolation. The guidance is presented in two documents, one for elementary and secondary schools and the other for postsecondary institutions.
- November 08, 2011 | Educational Opportunities Project Lawyers' Committee and Coalition Partners Withhold Support for ESEA Proposal A bipartisan coalition of 29 civil rights groups, business associations, statewide education officials, and education advocates are withholding support for the proposed ESEA bill due to the absence of accountability measures.
- October 19, 2011 Lawyers' Committee and Partners Say "Don't Let Congress Turn Back the Clock on Teacher Quality" Congress is debating this week whether to turn back the clock on advances for our most vulnerable students that were part of the legacy of No Child Left Behind. At stake as part of the debate is whether our legislators believe teachers should be required to complete a minimum level of training and demonstrate competence before they enter the classroom -- and especially whether poor and minority students, English language learners, and students with disabilities deserve equal access to such well-qualified teachers.
- September 23, 2011 | Bloomberg Businessweek Oprah-Backed Charter School Denying Disabled Collides With Law New Orleans students with disabilities continue to face discrimination in their public schools, and several new articles expose the shameful treatment experienced by these students. On behalf of its clients in its New Orleans special education litigation, P.B. v. Pastorek, the Lawyers’ Committee is encouraged to see the national media shed light on the illegal discriminatory actions that New Orleans schools commit against our most vulnerable students.
- September 07, 2011 | The Times-Picayune Louisiana's Recovery School District Chief Plans Central Enrollment System, Technical Training, More The Recovery School District's "12 Commitments" are aimed at addressing systemic issues in both general education and special education, some of which are at the root of Lawyers' Committee's case against the Louisiana Department of Education, P.B. v. Pastorek.
- August 10, 2011 | Lawyers' Committee Announcement: PREP will hold a workshop and consultation clinic in San Diego on August 20th! PREP will participate in the New ERAA Back to School Conference, Rally for Education & Festival on Saturday, August 20, 2011 in San Diego at Lincoln High School, 4777 Imperial Ave, San Diego, CA 92113.
- July 25, 2011 | Educational Opportunities Project Lawyers' Committee Supports New Supportive School Discipline Initiative The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law welcomes Attorney General Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announcement of the creation of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative. The Lawyers’ Committee is dedicated to promoting federal, state, and local initiatives to address the school-to-prison pipeline and supports Attorney General Holder’s and Secretary Duncan’s joint initiative.
- July 08, 2011 Educational Opportunities and Public Policy Projects Express Support for "The Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students Act (S. 919)" On July 7th, the Lawyers' Committee's Educational Opportunities and Public Policy Projects joined the Dignity in Schools Coalition's letter of support to Chairman Harkin on The Successful, Safe, and Healthy Students Act (S. 919).
- July 07, 2011 Lawyers’ Committee Applauds Federal Court Decision Striking Down Michigan Affirmative Action Ban On Friday, July 1, 2011, a panel of judges on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action v. Regents of the University of Michigan striking down a 2006 amendment to the Michigan Constitution banning affirmative action in admissions and hiring decisions in higher education and public agencies. The Court found that the amendment’s reordering of the political structure to the disadvantage of racial minorities amounted to an unconstitutional violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The Lawyers’ Committee applauds this decision and is committed to promoting opportunity and diversity in higher education.
- June 22, 2011 Lawyers' Committee Opposes Louisiana Charter School Bill, HB 421 The Educational Opportunities Project and Public Policy Department have issued a joint statement in opposition to new charter school legislation passed this week in Louisiana. The legislation, awaiting Gov. Jindal’s signature, permits corporations to reserve up to fifty percent of a public charter school’s enrollment for children of its employees, in exchange for a corporation making a donation to the school valuing at least fifty percent of the school’s state funding.
- May 17, 2011 Lawyers' Committee Announces Next PREP Event in San Diego, California On Saturday, June 4, 2011, PREP will hold a workshop on Parents' Rights and Responsibilities: Special Education Workshop and Educational Consultation Clinic at Cherokee Point Elementary School.
- May 17, 2011 Reflections on the 57th Anniversary of the Landmark Brown v. Board of Education Today’s 57th Anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision provides an opportunity for the Lawyers’ Committee and civil rights advocates to reflect on our national progress towards achieving equality and justice for all. At the heart of the Brown decision is the maxim that “separate is not equal” – and it is of profound importance that we strive for and celebrate diversity in all forms...
- May 12, 2011 | BaltimoreSun.com Lawyers' Committee Gives Oral Argument in Maryland HBCU Case Lawyers' Committee's Jon Greenbaum argued before Judge Catherine Blake on a motion for summary judgment filed by Maryland's Higher Education Commission.
- May 07, 2011 May PREP Workshop and Clinic a Success! The May 7th workshop and clinic, held at Sherman Elementary School in San Diego, covered issues related to "School Discipline: Parent's Rights and Responsibilities" and helped parents develop skills to enable them to be better educational advocates for their children.
- May 06, 2011 | U.S. Department of Education Lawyers' Committee Applauds Release of Federal Guidance: Equal Access to Educational Opportunity Regardless of Citizenship or Immigration Status On May 6, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Education (DOE) issued guidance highlighting the obligation of school districts to provide equal educational opportunities to all children regardless of race, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, or the immigration status of their parents.
- April 14, 2011 | Washington Post New Orleans schools ‘miracle’ not so miraculous "The New Oreans Recovery School District -- where nearly 75 percent of the public schools are charter schools -- has become the focus of a lot of attention in school reform circles based on rising test scores, so it seems worthwhile [to look] at the success claims of the 38,000-student district."
- April 08, 2011 Lawyers' Committee and Other Leading Civil Rights Organizations Urge Congress to Institute ESEA Accountability Principles Civil rights groups call on Congress to put "a meaningful federal accountability framework should directly protect historically disadvantaged subgroups of children" into place during the ESEA reauthorization process.
- March 30, 2011 Lawyers' Committee Urges Opposition to H.R. 471, DC Voucher Bill The House voted 225-195 to pass a DC Voucher Bill on March 30, 2011
- March 28, 2011 | Lawyers' Committee's Educational Opportunities Project Lawyers' Committee Celebrates Success of First PREP Workshop in San Diego On Saturday, March 26, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law launched its Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program (PREP) with a parent workshop at Porter Elementary School in San Diego, California. The workshop, “School Discipline: Parents’ Rights & Responsibilities,” was a great success with about twenty parents, school administrators, and teachers in attendance and contributing to a lively discussion on school discipline.
- January 29, 2011 Lawyers' Committee to Co-Host Educational Rights Clinic for New Orleans Parents The Educational Rights Project co-hosted an Educational Rights Clinic for New Orleans parents of children with disabilities on Saturday, January 29, 2011, in conjunction with attorneys and advocates from Southern Poverty Law Center, Pyramid Community Parent Resource Center, and Loyola University New Orleans’ Community Justice Clinic, in addition to receiving outreach support from the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana and Families & Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children.
- January 20, 2011 | The Kojo Nnamdi Show (WAMU Radio) Legacy of Segregation in Public Higher Education? More than a decade ago, Maryland committed to dismantling whatever remained of its formerly segregated higher education system. Now, four Historically Black Institutions have brought suit, saying the state has not lived up to its end of the bargain. We explore the issues at the heart of the case. Lawyers' Committe Legal Director Jon Greenbaum and David Burton Morgan State alumus and president of Maryland Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Higher Education joined Kojo Nnamdi to discuss “The Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education vs. Maryland's Higher Education Commission.”
- January 18, 2011 Federal Appeals Court Unanimously Upholds Race-Conscious Admissions Policy at University of Texas The Lawyers’ Committee applauds the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimous decision to uphold the University of Texas' (UT) race conscious admission policies.
- January 12, 2011 Lawyers' Committee, NAACP LDF, and ACLU File Amicus Brief in Doe v. Lower Merion The amicus was filed in support of the Lower Merion school district’s ability to implement a race conscious redistricting plan.
- January 10, 2011 | National Law Journal Separation Anxiety: In Maryland, a $2 billion suit reopens the fight over segregation in public higher education. In The Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education vs. Maryland's Higher Education Commission, plaintiffs argue that "Throughout history and up to the present day, Maryland has maintained a racially segregated system of higher education and has systematically and purposefully engaged in a pattern and practice of racial discrimination that has prevented [public Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Maryland] from achieving parity with their traditionally White institution counterparts." Along with Kirkland & Ellis and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, plaintiffs' lawyers include the Howard University Civil Rights Clinic and John Brittain, one of the nation's leading education discrimination attorneys.
- December 02, 2010 | The Washington Informer A Separate and Unequal Education in the 21st Century This article by the Lawyers' Committee's Brenda Shum and Tanya Clay House explores the problem of modern school re-segregation. It also discusses the efforts that the Lawyers' Committee and its partners are taking to stop this terrible trend and establish equal access to a quality education as a civil right. In recognition of National Education Week, the Lawyers' Committee urges the public to recognize the devastating consequences of modern resegregation, to remember the benefits of diverse learning environments, and to recommit to meaningful diversity and equal access in public education.
- October 06, 2010 Duncan Commended for Push for More Minority Teachers The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law applauds U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s commitment to increased recruitment of African American and Latino teachers. Executive Director Barbara Arnwine of the organization said, “I agree with him wholeheartedly that the underrepresentation of minority teachers, particularly males, is alarming. This lack of positive role models and mentors in the classroom is unacceptable and is clearly contributing to the dropout rate in Latino and African American communities.”
- September 22, 2010 Lawyers' Committee Supports DREAM Act "The Lawyers’ Committee’s major objective is to use the skills and resources of the bar to obtain equal opportunity for minorities by addressing factors that contribute to racial justice and economic opportunity. Particularly, our Educational Opportunities project seeks to guarantee that all students receive equal educational opportunities in public schools and institutions of higher learning. The DREAM Act supports such goals by incentivizing education as a way to achieve permanent resident status for alien residents." -- Public Policy Director Tanya Clay House
- August 04, 2010 | Washington Post Trying to work with, not against, President Obama on education Ruth Marcus has misunderstood the position of the civil rights groups that are helping to shape education reform ["Picking the wrong fight with Obama," op-ed, July 30]. We face an unprecedented crisis in education that requires bold measures designed to achieve broad structural changes. Our framework document does not argue in favor of the status quo. Indeed, it offers constructive criticism and a thoughtful analysis of the administration's Blueprint for Reform, along with recommendations on issues ranging from school finance and teacher preparation to parental involvement and school discipline.
- July 30, 2010 Vigorous Dialogue Around Education Framework Continues The Lawyers' Committee, in collaboration with other national civil rights and education advocacy organizations, has released a Framework for Providing All Students an Opportunity to Learn through Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
- April 29, 2010 | Afro-American Newspapers Suit Against State Progresses The Lawyers' Committees' lawsuit against the Maryland Higher Education Commission was the topic of an article in Afro-Amreican Newspapers on April 29th. The piece discusses progress made in the case and the Lawyers' Committee's goal of "complete parity between Traditionally White and Black institutions" in Maryland's Higher Education System.
- September 14, 2009 | Baltimore Sun Morgan Attacks Planned Online Ph.D. Program This most recent attempt by the University of Maryland system to duplicate a program that already exists at Morgan State, an HBCU, is consistent with our plaintiffs' claims in Coalition for Equity and Excellence v. MHEC.
- September 03, 2009 | Diverse Issues in Higher Education Legal Battles Continue in Fight for Equity in Maryland Higher Education
- June 10, 2009 | Washington Times CITIZEN JOURNALISM: 'School-to-prison pipeline'
- April 28, 2009 | WSTC/WNLK Local News Hartford celebrates Desegregation Anniversary
- April 28, 2009 Sound the Alarm ... Civil Rights, Still At Risk With the historic election of Barack Obama as this nation's first African American president, we still are in a time where we must "sound the alarm" and heighten awareness of the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality across the country as never before. The racial contradictions in our society are in many ways peaking instead of waning. Nowhere is this truer than in this term of when the U.S. Supreme Court is slated to hear nine civil rights cases, almost a record number.
- April 27, 2009 | WTNH 20-Year Battle for 20 Magnet Schools
- April 27, 2009 The 20th Anniversary of the Sheff v. O'Neill Lawsuit
- April 27, 2009 | Host, John Dankosky The 20th Anniversary of the Sheff versus O'Neill Lawsuit
- April 26, 2009 | Orlando Sentinel Orange Schools' Biracial-Panel Gaffe May Keep Feds' Oversight
