The lawsuit lists the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah as plaintiffs in the case, and several parts of the Biden administration, including the Department of Education and Biden himself, as defendants.
An October 2021 memorandum from Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed concern about purported threats to school staff by parents who disagreed with aspects of educational policy and curriculum.
Garland testified to Congress that the memorandum was based on a rescinded letter from the National School Board Association (NSBA) to Biden in which they called on the president to invoke the PATRIOT Act due to threats against school officials that they said "could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes," according to court filings.
"There is no way the NSBA can justify why they referred to concerned parents across the country as ‘domestic terrorists’ when it is obvious that they are being targeted for their political beliefs," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Friday in a press release.
NSBA Allegedly Engaged With White House Before Penning Letter Branding Parents 'Domestic Terrorists'
12 November 2021, 10:49 GMT
The Freedom of Information Act requests made by the plaintiffs seek records from the NSBA and federal officials related to the letter or other discussions between the US government and NSBA.