Gonzalez v. Douglas

Under a desegregation consent decree, the Tucson school district (TUSD) launched a Mexican American Studies (MAS) program in 1998 that measurably improved academic outcomes for its almost entirely Latino students; after MAS students protested a political speech, then-superintendent Horne blamed MAS teachers without investigating the program's actual content, and lobbied for a state law banning ethnic-focused curricula that promote racial resentment or government overthrow, backed by funding penalties. Horne singled out MAS for elimination while ignoring other ethnic-studies programs, and his successor Huppenthal — who privately authored anonymous blog posts showing anti-Mexican American attitudes — enforced the maximum funding penalty, effectively forcing MAS's termination, while both officials publicized their roles in ending the program in political campaigns. Students and parents (plaintiffs) sued, alleging the statute was unconstitutional as enacted and enforced.