‘A Cry for Help From a Generation of Young People’

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Several public school students in Rhode Island, through their parents, filed a federal lawsuit against the state in 2018 alleging the failure to provide them with an adequate education in civics. The students argued their studies failed to “prepare them to function productively as civic participants capable of voting, serving on a jury, understanding economic, social and political systems sufficiently to make informed choices, and to participate effectively in civic activities.”

The case was quite extraordinary in several respects, not the least of which was U.S. District Judge William E. Smith’s opinion and order, which delivered an extensive rationale for the vital importance of civics instruction at this time.

The court ruled against the students, however, holding that U.S. Supreme Court precedent precluded a finding that the Constitution provides a right to civics education in public schools. Judge Smith’s ruling recently was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Excerpts of the judge’s ruling, delivered Oct. 13, 2020, in federal court in Providence, R.I., follow. It has been edited for length with some assistance from the judge.