Celebrating Two Years Defending Families’ Right to Choose 

The momentum behind school choice has never been stronger, but neither has the opposition. As more states open the doors to educational opportunity, opponents are fighting harder than ever in the courts to close them. 

That’s why, two years ago, EdChoice established EdChoice Legal Advocates (EdLA) and joined forces with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to defend these programs — and the families who depend on them — through the Partnership for Educational Choice. Together, we’re standing with parents like Nicolette and Travis Leck and Victoria Haight in Wyoming, who are fighting to keep their state’s choice program alive, and Maria Ruiz and Tiffany Brown in Utah, who rely on education savings accounts to give their children the support and environment they deserve. 

Just a few years ago, no states offered school choice to all students. Today, 19 states do, empowering millions of parents to choose how and where their children learn. But with progress comes resistance. The legal battlefield has shifted from federal to state courts, where opponents are determined to preserve the status quo. EdChoice and IJ are standing firm, defending families, protecting opportunity, and ensuring that educational freedom endures. 

Through the Partnership, EdChoice and IJ are defending programs in Arkansas, Idaho, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming, while EdChoice Legal Advocates is independently fighting in Alabama, Missouri, and Montana. Each case represents real parents, real children, and real stakes for the future of educational freedom. 

“The power and promise of educational freedom for all families has been important to me for many decades,” said Thomas M. Fisher, Executive Vice President and Director of Litigation. “We’re proud of what this partnership has accomplished, and we’re ready to continue defending parents’ right to choose the education that best fits their children.” 

Now, as the Partnership marks its second anniversary, EdChoice will take the lead in new, vital litigation work, spearheading the defense against newly filed challenges to choice programs. IJ will continue to collaborate and support as a trusted ally and drive cases it already leads. It’s the natural next step in a decades-long friendship built on a shared conviction: that parents, not bureaucracies, are best suited to decide their children’s education.   

“For three and a half decades, the Institute for Justice has been the national law firm for the educational choice movement,” said IJ Senior Attorney Michael Bindas. “We are proud of what we’ve accomplished in that time, including four victories at the U.S. Supreme Court in defense of parental choice and many more in lower courts throughout the land. As we pass the baton to EdChoice, we are confident that its team of talented attorneys will defend and build upon that legacy.” 

Rooted in the legacy of Milton and Rose Friedman, EdChoice remains steadfast in its mission: to preserve and expand educational freedom so every family can find the learning environment that works best for their child. 

Learn more about EdChoice’s legal efforts.