Special needs children legal representation ruling [US SC] News
Special needs children legal representation ruling [US SC]

Winkelman v. Parma City School District, US Supreme Court, May 21, 2007 [holding that parents of special needs children – in this case a child with autism – have an independent and enforceable right under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and can represent themselves in IDEA litigation without a lawyer]. Read the Court's opinion [text] per Justice Kennedy, along with a partial dissent [text] from Justice Scalia. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Amsterdam Treaty signed, broadening scope of EU

On October 2, 1997, European Union delegates signed the Amsterdam Treaty, which broadened the scope of the international organization. It amended previous EU treaties to expand the power of the EU Parliament, start the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and prepare for the influx of post-Communist countries in Eastern Europe.

Thurgood Marshall becomes first African-American Supreme Court justice

On October 2, 1967, civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African-American Supreme Court justice Learn more about Marshall and his career from the Library of Congress.