EdChoice Legal Advocates

To safeguard choice programs for families, EdChoice created EdChoice Legal Advocates (EdLA) to engage in the school choice litigation effort directly. As the organization carrying forward the legacy of Milton and Rose Friedman—the architects of the modern choice movement—no one is better suited than EdChoice to defend the rights of parents to choose how and where their children are educated. Since its founding in 1996, EdChoice has worked to educate about the methods and merits of empowering parents with the ability to choose any educational option for their children. Prevailing in court when school choice programs are challenged is a fundamental necessity.

EdLA fights to preserve and advance Milton and Rose’s vision against all challenges. In recent years, the battle over school choice has moved from federal to state courts, with more lawsuits focused on state constitutional and statutory claims. While many such claims invoke state-specific laws, the central legal defense of school choice remains the same: Legislatures may empower parents to decide how to spend their children’s education funds.

In its initial years, EdLA will partner with the Institute for Justice to represent families and their rights to educational choice in court, eventually assuming from IJ full responsibility for education choice defense litigation. EdLA engages in some legal battles independently and partners with IJ in other cases.

To realize Milton and Rose’s vision of universal choice, we must not merely create educational freedom programs, but also ensure they withstand legal challenges in state courts. Just as we anticipate needing to help implement school choice programs, we also anticipate needing to defend parents and these programs across the country.