Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools |
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| Argued December 11, 1991 Decided February 26, 1992 |
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| Full case name | Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools et al. |
| Citations | 503 U.S. 60 (more)
112 S. Ct. 1028; 117 L. Ed. 2d 208
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| Prior history | Dismissal affirmed, 911 F.2d 617 (11th Cir. 1990); cert. granted, 501 U.S. 1204 (1991). |
| Subsequent history | Remanded, 969 F.2d 1022 (11th Cir. 1992). |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Holding | |
| A damages remedy is available for an action brought to enforce Title IX. | |
| Court membership | |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | White, joined by Blackmun, Stevens, O’Connor, Kennedy, Souter |
| Concurrence | Scalia, joined by Rehnquist, Thomas |
| Laws applied | |
| Title IX | |
Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools, 503 U.S. 60 (1992), was a U.S. Supreme Court case. The Court decided that people could receive money to fix problems under Title IX of the Federal Education Amendments of 1972. This decision was made with a unanimous vote from all the judges.
Contents
What Happened in This Case?
This case started with Christine Franklin, a student at North Gwinnett High School in Georgia. She claimed that a teacher and coach, Andrew Hill, treated her and other students unfairly. School leaders found out about the situation. However, they did not take action right away. They even encouraged Christine not to report what happened.
Christine did not give up. The school district finally started an investigation. Before it was finished, Andrew Hill resigned from his job. Because of this, the school board stopped its investigation. Christine then decided to sue the Gwinnett School Board. She believed they had not followed Title IX rules. She wanted to receive money to make things right.
Understanding Title IX
Many people know Title IX helps make sports fair for both boys and girls. But it also has important rules about how schools must handle complaints. If a student reports unfair treatment or harassment, Title IX says the school must act "promptly and efficiently." They must also take "immediate action" to solve the problem.
Christine felt the school board did not follow these rules. She sued to get money for the problems she faced. The school board disagreed. They argued that Title IX did not allow people to get money for damages. The case eventually went all the way to the Supreme Court.
The Court's Decision
The Supreme Court heard the case on December 11, 1991. About two and a half months later, on February 26, 1992, they made their decision. All nine judges voted in favor of Christine Franklin. This meant she could receive money to help fix the situation.
Why the Court Decided This Way
A previous case, Cannon v. University of Chicago (1979), had already said that people could sue to make schools follow Title IX. So, the main question in this case was whether money could be given as a way to fix the problem.
Justice Byron R. White wrote the Court's decision. He explained that if someone's federal rights are violated, it's usually expected that there will be a way to fix it, including getting money. The Court agreed that the unfair treatment Christine faced was a type of discrimination based on sex. They said that if the Court didn't allow money to be given, Title IX wouldn't really be able to help people in these situations.
Even though all the judges agreed with Christine, three judges had a slightly different reason for their vote. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote their opinion. They believed there should be some limits on how much money could be given. This was because the right to sue under Title IX was not directly written in the law but was "implied." However, they still voted for Christine.
Why This Case Matters
The Franklin v. Gwinnett County Public Schools case confirmed that people could get money to fix problems under Title IX. But the reason behind this decision is even more important. The Court said that because Title IX deals with civil rights, all kinds of ways to fix problems should be available. This means that in many civil rights cases, people can expect to get different types of help, including money, to make things right.
