Plyler v. Doe - Significance, Related Cases, Right To A Public Education, Further Readings

children appellants william james

Appellants

J. and R. Doe; certain named and unnamed undocumented alien children, et al.

Appellees

James L. Plyler, et al.

Appellants' Claim

That schools admitting children who could not establish that they had come into the United States legally should still receive state funding.

Chief Lawyer for Appellants

Peter D. Roos for J. and R. Doe et al., Peter A. Schey for certain named and unnamed undocumented alien children et al.

Chief Lawyer for Apellees

John C. Hardy for James L. Plyler et al.; Richard L. Arnett for State of Texas, et al.

Justices for the Court

Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr. (writing for the Court), Thurgood Marshall, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., John Paul Stevens

Justices Dissenting

Warren E. Burger, Sandra Day O'Connor, William H. Rehnquist, Byron R. White

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

15 June 1982

Decision

That the Texas law which withheld funds from local school districts for educating children not legally admitted into the United States and the authorization of these districts to deny these children enrollment, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

Sources

Heward, William L. Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Merrill, 1996.

Additional Topics

Plyler v. Doe - Significance

With this decision, states could no longer withhold public education from children simply because they were illegal aliens. Although it may seem to be a contradiction, the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause provides certain rights to illegal aliens the same as any legal alien or U.S. citizen. The case of Plyler v. Doe helped the U.S. Supreme Court guarantee those rights through application of …

Plyler v. Doe - Right To A Public Education

The American people have always regarded education and the acquisition of knowledge as matters of utmost importance. Yet, the U.S. Constitution makes no mention of education and education has never been acknowledged as a protected fundamental right. Under the Tenth Amendment, powers not expressly claimed for the federal government became reserved for the states including creation of educational sy…

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User Comments

over 4 years ago

This shows that we should practice what we preach!! This country has done so many attocities to other countries including the employment of Mexicans just for their labor and returning them when their servides are no longer needed as if they were tools. This also isn't the only incident. Amendment 14 is a right and is part of this country. Again, practice what we preach....

almost 5 years ago

What this ruling does is to open the door to anyone wanting to come here without proper proceedures, and take part in the liberties of this country. Which explains why we are so much in debut now to the excessive spending on illegal, I guess we should not now call them illegals?

Spending on undocumented residence.