Member Since 2009


Joshua Dunn is professor of political science at the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs. His research focuses on judicial policymaking and in particular the influence of the courts on education. He is the author of Complex Justice: The Case of Missouri v. Jenkins (University of North Carolina Press 2008) and the co-editor, with Martin West, of From Schoolhouse to Courthouse: The Judiciary’s Role in American Education (Brookings 2009). He also authors a quarterly article on law and education for Education Next.

Published Articles & Media

Dave and Amy Carson with their daughter at Bangor Christian Schools in Maine. The Carsons are one of three families that sued Maine over a program that bans families from an otherwise generally available student-aid program if they choose to send their children to schools that teach religion. (Photo by the Institute for Justice www.ij.org.)

Supreme Court Oral Argument in Carson v. Makin Sends Hopeful Signal for Religious School Aid

Justices May Drop Distinction Between Religious Status and Use, Sending State Blaine Amendments To Scrap Heap
The Hile family is among those suing, seeking the ability to use their Michigan 529 savings plan to pay tuition at a private Christian school.

Blaine Fights Back

Michigan families sue, seeking the ability to use their 529 savings accounts to pay for tuition at private religious schools.
The Aztec Gods Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli, and Xipe Totek, as depicted in the Codex Telleriano Remensis.

A Human Sacrifice Too Far

Californians sue to stop Aztec prayer in public school ethnic-studies classrooms
Cheerleader stands in front of Mahanoy Area High School

Supreme Court Ruling in Cheerleader Case Stops Short of Clear Rule on Off-Campus Speech, But Sends Strong Signal

“The regulation of many types of off-premises student speech raises serious First Amendment concerns, and school officials should proceed cautiously,” Alito writes in a concurrence capturing the court’s spirit.

Critical Race Theory Collides with the Law

Can a school require students to “confess their privilege” in class?
U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court Hears Argument in Student Speech Case

“f— school f— softball f— cheer f— everything,” a junior-varsity cheerleader said on Snapchat
Representative Lauren Boebert’s Zoom background

What Teachers Spy in Homes over Zoom Winds Up in Court

Visible guns, Trump banners get students in trouble
Brick school building

Predicted Pandemic-Prompted Education Revolution May Be Hype

Parents prefer someone else to teach their children, outside the home, our survey suggests
Student holds a sign outside a news conference that reads "LAUSD: My children deserve a better education WE WANT EQUALITY"

As Unions and Public Officials Push to Keep Schools Closed, Parents Fight Back

Lawsuits on behalf of special needs students, private school parents have greatest chance of success
Montana resident Kendra Espinoza poses in front of the white-marble court building with her daughters Naomi (right) and Sarah (left) in Washington, D.C., on January 19, 2020.

A Landmark Ruling for Religious Schools

The future implications of Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

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