Plyler v. Doe

457 U.S. 202 (1982) ; Clearinghouse Number: 22611

Description

U.S. Supreme Court Holds Illegal Aliens Entitled to Free Public Education

Abstract

The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed the Fifth Circuit's ruling that a Texas statute which withholds from local school districts any state funds for the education of children who are illegal aliens and which authorizes school districts to deny enrollment or charge tuition to such children is unconstitutional. In so ruling, the Court found that (1) an alien is a "person" in any sense of that term and as such may claim the benefit of the equal protection clause, (2) the statute imposes a lifetime hardship on a discrete class of children who can neither affect their parents' conduct nor their own status, (3) the status of these children does not establish a sufficient rational basis for denying them benefits that the state affords other residents, (4) no national policy is perceived that might justify the state's actions, (5) the state's interest in mitigating potentially harsh economic effects from an influx of illegal aliens is not furthered by the state's policy of charging tuition to undocumented children, and (6) the record does not show that the quality of education will be improved by the exclusion of these children from the educational system. Three justices filed concurring opinions, and four joined in a dissenting opinion.

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Docket Date
1982-06-15 00:00:00+00:00