Parents Defending Education v. Linn-Mar Community School District
Description: Linn-Mar Community School District in Iowa enacted a policy that violates parents’ constitutional and fundamental rights to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children.
ADF to 8th Circuit: Protect parents' right to raise children without govt interference
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch regarding a friend-of-the-court brief ADF attorneys filed Thursday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit in Parents Defending Education v. Linn-Mar Community School District on behalf of Parental Rights Iowa and The Justice Foundation supporting parents’ right to make decisions about how their children are raised:
“Parents—not government officials—have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, care, and education of their children. Yet Linn-Mar Community School District has joined a troubling trend of school districts enacting gender-identity policies that exclude parents from any knowledge or involvement in key decisions regarding their children’s care and education. As we explain in our brief, Linn-Mar’s policy assumes public schools are better guardians of children than their own parents—replacing moms and dads with teachers and school administrators. When government officials violate parents’ rights, it’s vulnerable children who suffer. We urge the 8th Circuit to affirm the legal and constitutional protections parents have to make the best decisions for their own kids.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT John Bursch
John Bursch is senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy with Alliance Defending Freedom. Bursch has argued 12 U.S. Supreme Court cases and more than 30 state supreme court cases since 2011, and a recent study concluded that among all frequent Supreme Court advocates who did not work for the federal government, he had the 3rd highest success rate for persuading justices to adopt his legal position. Bursch served as solicitor general for the state of Michigan from 2011-2013. He has argued multiple Michigan Supreme Court cases in eight of the last ten terms and has successfully litigated hundreds of matters nationwide, including six with at least $1 billion at stake. As part of his private firm, Bursch Law PLLC, he has represented Fortune 500 companies, foreign and domestic governments, top public officials, and industry associations in high-profile cases, primarily on appeal. He received his J.D. magna cum laude in 1997 from the University of Minnesota Law School and is admitted to practice in numerous federal district and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.