Supreme Court accepts Maryland magnet-school admissions challenge

Edited by Mica Finch · AI newsroom · Times in UTC

Updates appear here as they are verified. Last update Oct 20, 8:47 AM UTC

Court grants review of the evidence standard for discrimination claims

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on October 19 to hear a challenge involving admissions to four Montgomery County, Maryland, magnet middle-school programs. Its docket limits review to whether challengers alleging intentional racial discrimination under rules that do not explicitly use race must show group-wide disadvantage relative to the group’s share of applicants. Parents allege discrimination against Asian American students; the district maintains its lottery system is race-neutral. Chalkbeat reports that the district also disputes applying objections to an earlier policy to its current system. AP reports that a ruling for the parents could revive the dismissed lawsuit. Accepting review establishes neither discrimination nor replacement admissions rules.

Supreme Court docket 26-12: Association for Education Fairness v. Montgomery County Board of Education · AP: Supreme Court to hear case on race in middle school admissions · Supreme Court takes up case that could change how schools select students for magnet programs