605 U.S. 335 (2025) · 2025
A. J. T. v. Osseo Area Schools
disability rightspublic educationspecial educationADARehabilitation Actstudent accommodationsLandmark
Summary
A.J.T. held that schoolchildren bringing ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims do not have to satisfy a special bad-faith-or-gross-misjudgment standard just because their claims concern education. The ruling reversed the Eighth Circuit's heightened standard and returned the case for ordinary disability-discrimination analysis.
Background & Context
A.J.T. has a severe form of epilepsy that made it hard for her to attend school in the morning. Her family sought evening instruction after moving to Minnesota. Lower courts applied a heightened standard that required proof of bad faith or gross misjudgment by the school district.
The Question Before the Court
May courts impose a heightened bad-faith-or-gross-misjudgment standard on ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims brought by students with disabilities in education settings?
Petitioner
A. J. T., by and through her parents, A. T. and G. T.
Party asking the Court to review or reverse
Argued
- The heightened standard lacks a statutory basis.
Respondent
Osseo Area Schools, Independent School District No. 279
Party defending the judgment below
Argued
- Schools need room for educational judgment.
The Holding
Students bringing ADA and Rehabilitation Act claims related to education are subject to the same standards that apply in other disability-discrimination contexts, not a special bad-faith-or-gross-misjudgment standard.
The Court
How the justices lined up in this decision.
9-0
Vote
Joined decision
9 justicesAC
Amy Barrett
Majority
BK
Brett Kavanaugh
Majority
CT
Clarence Thomas
Majority
EK
Elena Kagan
Majority
JR
John Roberts
Majority
KB
Ketanji Jackson
Majority
NG
Neil Gorsuch
Majority
SA
Samuel Alito
Majority
SS
Sonia Sotomayor
Majority
What this means for you
The ruling matters for disabled students and families because it removes a special barrier to damages and discrimination claims against schools. It does not guarantee victory for A.J.T. or any future plaintiff. It means courts must judge education-related disability claims under the same standards used in other ADA and Rehabilitation Act settings.
Key Takeaways
- The Court rejected the school-only bad-faith-or-gross-misjudgment standard.
- The same ADA and Rehabilitation Act standards apply to education-related claims as in other disability contexts.
- The decision was unanimous.
- The case involved a student with epilepsy seeking accommodations for instruction time.
- The practical effect is stronger access to civil-rights remedies for disabled students.
Decision
9-0 majority opinion
- Citation
- 605 U.S. 335 (2025)
- Vote
- 9-0
- Decision type
- Majority opinion
- Argued
- April 28, 2025
- Decided
- June 12, 2025
- Term
- 2024
- Opinion author
- John Roberts
Chief Justice Roberts wrote for a unanimous Court. Justice Thomas concurred, joined by Justice Kavanaugh. Justice Sotomayor concurred, joined by Justice Jackson.