The LRL has launched the "Texas School Finance Litigation Archive," a new research tool that provides access to select court documents from school finance litigation in Texas dating back to the 1970s. The site is free and available to the public, and is intended to familiarize users with the history of school finance litigation in Texas, and provide them with a broad range of resources on the subject.

 

The earliest court documents featured on the site are from the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case San Antonio ISD v. Rodriguez, a school finance lawsuit that originated in Texas.  The case is considered to be the first school finance lawsuit in Texas, and was followed by several subsequent lawsuits. Users can view the docket for the case at the federal district court level, and read the opinions from both the federal district court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

In addition to San Antonio v. Rodriquez documents, users will also find court documents from  Edgewood I and II, West Orange-Cove I and II, and the recent school finance case, Williams v. Texas Taxpayers & Student Fairness Coalition, et al. Of special note are trial transcripts from Edgewood I, a case that has been included in the Travis County Historical Records project because of its historical significance.

 

In addition to court records, the page also provides a timeline of key court rulings, as well as legislative reports and a comprehensive bibliography on various aspects of school finance.

 

The project was made possible by the participation of a number of courts and libraries, including: