In a notably tense session on Monday, the Supreme Court addressed a disability-rights case that involved sharp exchanges and dire warnings about potential consequences for the rights of disabled students. The case focuses on a teenager with a rare form of epilepsy whose family contends that courts have placed undue burdens on lawsuits against public schools that fail to adequately support students’ educational needs.
The case was brought before the Supreme Court after lower courts ruled against the family’s discrimination claim, despite evidence suggesting that the girl’s Minnesota school had insufficiently accommodated her condition. The family’s lawyer, Roman Martinez, argued that the school district’s current position could trigger a “five-alarm fire” for the disability-rights community if upheld.
Rather than defending the specific legal standards set by the lower courts, the school district argued for a blanket approach that would raise the benchmark for all disability accommodation claims to a higher level. Lisa Blatt, representing the school district, refuted suggestions that their legal stance had shifted. “They are putting words in our mouths. We never claimed a double standard should exist,” Blatt insisted.
Justice Neil Gorsuch prompted Blatt to retract accusations that the opposition had lied but maintained her point that claims concerning disability rights should meet more rigorous legal criteria. The justices, however, expressed doubt toward this broader argument. Justice Amy Coney Barrett highlighted this as a “sea change” and questioned whether any lower courts had aligned with such an approach.
The court’s decision will hold significant implications for disability rights in education and is anticipated by the end of June.