On this day ten years ago, arguments were made in a landmark school choice case that continues to affect education in Ohio and all across the nation.

Zelman v. Simmons-Harris was a federal lawsuit brought by opponents against the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program that questioned the program’s constitutionality. In a ruling on June 27, 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the program. The Institute for Justice calls it “the most important education decision since Brown v. Board of Education.”

The impact of this decision extends beyond the boundaries of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and even beyond the state of Ohio because it set the precedent for school voucher cases with regards to questions of constitutionality.

Because of this ruling, thousands of students in Ohio and across the nation have the opportunity to attend the school of their choice. We see the positive results of this decision in the faces of these students who are now able to thrive and excel in an educational environment that best fits their learning needs.