Institute for Justice Applauds U.S. House of Representatives for Approving D.C. School Choice

WEB RELEASE: December 8, 2003
CONTACT: Lisa Knepper;
John Kramer (703) 682-9320
[School Choice]

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Washington, D.C.—Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an omnibus spending bill including authorization for a school choice program for low-income students in the District of Columbia. A comprehensive school choice media kit is available at http://www.ij.org/schoolchoice/mediakit.html. The Institute for Justice, the Washington, D.C.-based public interest law firm that has defended the constitutionality of school choice programs across the nation, applauded the action:

"The House of Representatives has given an early Christmas gift to thousands of District of Columbia schoolchildren who desperately need high-quality educational opportunities," said Clint Bolick, vice president of the Institute for Justice.

"For the sake of the low-income D.C. families trapped in chronically failing schools, we urge the Senate to follow the lead of the House and quickly approve the parental choice program," said Chip Mellor, IJ president and general counsel. "In order to allow D.C. officials adequate time to implement an effective choice program, it is critical that the Senate pass this legislation without delay."

On the Constitutionality of the D.C. School Choice Bill

"There is no question that the D.C. school choice program is constitutional under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2002 decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, as well as two decades of prior precedents," said Bolick. "This program is religiously neutral and advances the profound constitutional obligation of equal educational opportunities."

"The constitutional analysis of Sen. Arlen Specter and others is more political than legal," concluded Bolick. "The objections raised by Sen. Specter are completely irrelevant to the constitutionality of school choice in D.C. or anywhere else."