Question

directions: please answer the following questions in complete sentences.

1. why did the families of undocumented children challenge this law?
2. which clauses of the fourteenth amendment were central to this case?
3. what did the supreme court decide about the status of undocumented children under the constitution?
4. what reasons did texas give for wanting to deny education to undocumented children?

background: during the 1970s, texas saw a growing number of immigrant families coming from mexico. many of these families had children who were undocumented. in 1975, the texas legislature amended its education laws to allow school districts to either deny enrollment to undocumented children or to charge them tuition if they wanted to attend public school. the reasoning behind the law was that educating undocumented children would create an extra burden on the states resources, and the state argued that these children were not lawfully in the u.s. anyway.
several families, represented by a class - action lawsuit, challenged the law in federal court. they claimed that texass policy violated the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment, which guarantees equal protection of the laws to any person within a states jurisdiction.
legal question: does texass law, which allowed schools to deny free public education to undocumented children, violate the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment?
supreme courts decision
in a 5 - 4 ruling, the court sided with the children and struck down the texas law. justice william j. brennan wrote the majority opinion.

1. undocumented children are \persons\ under the constitution. the fourteenth amendment protects \persons,\ not just citizens or lawful residents.
2. education is not a \fundamental right,\ but it is critically important. the court explained that while the constitution does not guarantee a right to education, access to education is necessary to function in american society. denying it would handicap children for life.
3. discrimination must be justified. when a state provides free public education to some children, it cannot deny it to others without a strong reason. texas argued cost savings and discouraging illegal immigration were its reasons, but the court found these too weak to justify creating a permanent underclass of uneducated children.
4. practical consequences matter. denying education to undocumented children would mean they would grow up unable to read, write, or contribute productively. justice brennan wrote that this would impose \a lifetime of hardship\ on a group of children who had no choice in coming to the united states.

Explanation:

1. The families of undocumented children challenged the 1975 Texas law regarding the education of such children because they believed it violated the Equal - Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection of the laws to any person within a state's jurisdiction.
2. The Equal - Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was central to this case as it was argued that Texas's policy of allowing schools to deny free public education to undocumented children violated this clause by not providing equal protection under the law.
3. The Supreme Court decided that undocumented children are "persons" under the Constitution and that denying them education violates the Equal - Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court stated that while education is not a fundamental right under the Constitution, denying it to a group of children would impose a lifetime of hardship, and the state's reasons for doing so were not strong enough to justify the discrimination.
4. Texas gave reasons such as discouraging illegal immigration and savings in public education funds for wanting to deny education to undocumented children. However, the Court found these reasons too weak to justify creating a permanent underclass of uneducated children.

Answer:

1. The families of undocumented children challenged the law because they claimed that Texas's policy violated the Equal - Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal protection of the laws to any person within a state's jurisdiction.
2. The Equal - Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was central to this case.
3. The Supreme Court decided that undocumented children are "persons" under the Constitution and that denying them education violates the Equal - Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
4. Texas gave reasons such as discouraging illegal immigration and savings in public education funds for wanting to deny education to undocumented children.