Saying "There are moments in our state's and, indeed, our nation's history when silence in the face of abhorrent circumstances is not an option," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel last Friday stood up for the fundamental constitutional right to an adequate education for everyone.
"Today is one such moment," said Nessel, who filed a request to have her amicus brief accepted and considered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Gary B., et al v. Gretchen Whitmer, et al.
Nessel's brief argues that a minimally adequate public education is critical in allowing every individual-no matter who they are or where they live-to exercise their constitutional rights, to respond to the complexities of modern life, and to rise above racial and socioeconomic barriers. She further argues that the absence of a minimally adequate public education jeopardizes the very foundation on which our American democracy rests.
"As Michigan's attorney general, acting on behalf of the general welfare of all the people and particularly every child in this state I am legally, morally, and personally compelled to advance this important concept," said Nessel.
Nessel noted that the late civil rights champion and distinguished jurist Judge Damon Keith observed in a landmark case involving school segregation in southeast Michigan, "it is of paramount importance for all school children to have equal opportunity to education."
"I can think of no better way to honor Judge Keith's legacy than to ensure that his words become reality," said Nessel.
Published: Tue, Jun 11, 2019
