Hanson Bridgett Files Amicus Brief in Ninth Circuit Appeal Addressing Inclusive Academic Support Programs
Hanson Bridgett LLP has filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Californians for Equal Rights Foundation v. Her, et al., a high-profile appeal involving a challenge to Fresno Unified School District’s inclusive academic support programming.
Partner Patrick Burns and Associate Shandyn Pierce serve as counsel for amici curiae and filed the brief in partnership with the National Center for Youth Law and advocacy organizations dedicated to expanding access to educational opportunity for underserved students across California.
Drawing on longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the amicus brief emphasizes that speculative allegations of harm are insufficient to sustain legal challenges to programs designed to expand opportunity through tutoring, mentoring, college counseling, and other inclusive academic supports.
The organizations represented in the brief bring decades of experience advancing educational equity and supporting students in historically under-resourced communities. Their perspective underscores what is at stake in this appeal: the continued availability of inclusive programs that help close opportunity gaps and improve student outcomes statewide.
“We are honored to partner with mission-driven organizations advancing access to educational opportunity for students across California,” said Burns. “This case raises important questions about the ability of school districts to provide inclusive academic support programs that benefit students who have historically lacked access to critical resources.”
Hanson Bridgett’s work on this matter reflects the firm’s ongoing commitment to public interest advocacy and advancing legal strategies that support equitable access to education.
Read the National Center for Youth Law’s press release here.
