JUDGE RULED ROBINSON V. WENTZELL WILL PROCEED!
HARTFORD, CT – Yesterday was a huge victory for educational freedom and justice for Hartford Black and Hispanic children and their parents!
LaShawn Robinson, the lead plaintiff of Robinson v. Wentzell was notified that their case to fight against unjust racial quotas in Connecticut Magnet schools will proceed in court.
Both the State of Connecticut, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, ACLU Racial Justice Program, and the Center for Children’s Advocacy, as Sheff v. O’Neil intervenors, tried very hard to have this case thrown out of court on a variety of grounds — forgetting that every child in Connecticut regardless of their race has a right to access safe and quality educational opportunities.
“…in Robinson v. Wentzell, the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut rejected the state’s and intervenors’ motion for judgment on the pleadings. The court held that the case belongs in federal court and therefore rejected the state’s attempt to have the case heard by the Connecticut Supreme Court. The intervenors’ attempt to kick the case to the state trial court was also rejected. In addition, the court ruled that strict scrutiny applies to these overt racial classifications and that the Hartford plaintiffs have standing to challenge both the racial quota and the lottery. “ Pacific Legal Foundation, Attorneys for Plaintiffs.
While this is only the first battle in what is sure to be a long fight for educational freedom for Hartford Black and Hispanic children, the CT Parents Union is committed to work with the plaintiffs of Robinson v. Wentzell to help protect the educational rights of all Connecticut children regardless of their race – especially the most vulnerable children.
Yesterday, we as the State of Connecticut and the country just learned that children have Constitutional rights too!
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