The High Court Declines to Address Lawsuit from Parents Challenging Justice Department's School Board Threats Directive
In 2021, Garland published a memo addressing the "alarming surge in bullying, intimidation, and threats of physical harm" towards schools. This memo triggered periods of opposition and misleading statements that the Department of Justice considered parents voicing concerns about school policies at board meetings as "domestic extremists."
Parents from Loudoun County, Virginia, and Saline, Michigan, portrayed the memo as a "misguided policy intended to intimidate and muzzle protesters at school board gatherings." They argued that parents were left with the choice between "abstaining from lawfully protected activities" or "submitting themselves to federal scrutiny," the parents communicated to the Supreme Court.
However, lower courts dismissed the lawsuit, pointing out that the memo introduced no new regulations and focused on comprehending threats, not parents exercising their right to voice their concerns at board meetings. The memo did not label anyone as a domestic extremist.
The Biden administration urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal, arguing that the parents "have not documented any government action against them."
The Supreme Court's decision, devoid of any comments, represents the latest episode in a crusade from certain right-wing media and Republican officials, accusing the Department of Justice of penalizing parents for participating in or protesting at school board meetings.
The memo and subsequent legal action unfolded when numerous school board meetings nationwide became contentious due to Covid-19 protocols and curricula that some conservatives alleged disparaged White people.
CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.
The political discourse surrounding the Garland memo led to numerous accusations from Republican officials, labeling the Department of Justice as penalizing parents for participating in school board protests. The memo and subsequent legal action also sparked concerns among parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, and Saline, Michigan, about being mislabeled as domestic extremists for voicing their opinions in school board meetings.
