Federal court says Arkansas can enforce ban on critical race theory in classrooms
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a preliminary injunction issued against the ban, one of several changes adopted under an education overhaul that Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed in 2023.
The prohibition is being challenged by two teachers and two students at Little Rock Central High School, site of the 1957 desegregation crisis. A federal judge had granted the injunction to the students but not the teachers.
'Just as ordinary citizens cannot require the government to express a certain viewpoint or maintain a prior message, students cannot oblige the government to maintain a particular curriculum or offer certain materials in that curriculum based on the Free Speech Clause,' the judges ruled.
Attorneys for the teachers and students said they were disappointed in the ruling.
'It gives us pause and concern about a steady erosion of individual rights and protections in this great country,' attorney Mike Laux said in a statement. 'Nonetheless, major aspects of this lawsuit remain viable, and they will proceed in due course.'
Critical race theory is an academic framework dating to the 1970s that centers on the idea that racism is embedded in the nation's institution. The theory is not a fixture of K-12 education, and Arkansas' ban does not define what constitutes critical race theory.
Republican Attorney General Tim Griffin praised the court's ruling.
'With its ruling today, the 8th Circuit continues to ensure that the responsibility of setting curriculum is in the hands of democratically elected officials who, by nature, are responsive to voters,' Griffin said in a statement.
Arkansas is among several Republican-led states that have placed restrictions on how race is taught in the classroom, including prohibitions on critical race theory. President Donald Trump in February ordered federal money for K-12 schools cannot be used on the 'indoctrination' of children, including 'radical gender ideology and critical race theory.'
'Big win for common sense, education freedom — and parents who just want our schools to teach kids how to think, not what to think,' Sanders, who served as Trump's press secretary during his first term, posted on X after Wednesday's ruling.
The judges said they weren't minimizing the students' concerns 'whether in this case or in the abstract — about a government that decides to exercise its discretion over the public school curriculum by prioritizing ideological interests over educational ones.'
'But the Constitution does not give courts the power to block government action based on mere policy disagreements,' the court said.
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Winnipeg Free Press
17 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
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Winnipeg Free Press
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Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejects the two-state solution on both nationalistic and security grounds, said Starmer's announcement 'rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims.' The families of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas were also critical. 'Recognizing a Palestinian state while 50 hostages remain trapped in Hamas tunnels amounts to rewarding terrorism,' said the Hostages Family Forum, which represents many hostages' relatives. Emily Damari, a British-Israeli national who was held captive for more than a year, called Starmer's stance 'a moral failure.' The British statement was welcomed by the Palestinian Authority, which Britain views as a legitimate representative of Palestinians. It has limited autonomy in pockets of the occupied West Bank. 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'This has not been upheld, and it is a historical injustice which continues to unfold,' Lammy said at the U.N. on Tuesday. Most of Britain's main political parties support a two-state solution. But the right-of-center opposition Conservatives said Starmer's announcement was premature. 'Recognition of a Palestinian state is only meaningful if it is part of a formal peace process and cannot happen while hostages are still being held in terrorist captivity and while Hamas' reign of terror continues,' said Priti Patel, the party's foreign affairs spokeswoman. Ed Davey, leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats, welcomed Starmer's statement as a step forward but said the prime minister should not use Palestinian statehood as 'a bargaining chip.' The move may spark diplomatic momentum Britain and France hope other countries will follow their move. On Tuesday, European Union member Malta said it, too, would recognize a Palestinian state in September. Germany, a major European power and strong ally of Israel, remains a holdout. Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his country's position that recognition of a Palestinian state 'can be one of the last steps on the road to realizing a two-state solution,' but that Berlin has no plans for recognition 'in the short term.' Real clout rests with the U.S., and Starmer's cautious approach may be designed to persuade President Donald Trump to take a tougher line with his ally Netanyahu. The prospects are uncertain, to say the least. Asked about Britain's stance on Tuesday, Trump said: 'We have no view on that.' Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East expert at international affairs think tank Chatham House, said there is 'no doubt' that a global majority supports Palestinian statehood, but that's not enough to make it a reality. 'British recognition or French recognition doesn't make it internationally recognized,' he said. 'You need the (U.N.) Security Council — and that is not going to happen because of a certain person in the White House.' ___ Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this story.
