Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch engaged in a rare heated exchange Monday with an experienced attorney during oral arguments in a case involving disability discrimination in public schools.
The dispute occurred during arguments in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, a case centered on accommodations for students with disabilities under federal law.
Justice Gorsuch directly confronted Williams & Connolly lawyer Lisa Blatt, who represents the Minnesota public school district, after she accused the opposing counsel of lying in their presentation to the justices.
The plaintiffs in the case are representing the parents of a girl with severe epilepsy. They sued the school district, claiming it failed to provide needed at-home school accommodation.
Gorsuch interrupted Blatt multiple times, telling her lawyers appearing before the Supreme Court "should be more careful with their words." He later pressed her further on the lying accusation.
"Ms. Blatt," Gorsuch said, "I confess I’m still troubled by your suggestion that your friends on the other side have lied."
After further back-and-forth where Blatt attempted to justify her statement by referencing filings, Gorsuch raised his voice slightly. "Withdraw your accusation, Ms. Blatt," he instructed.
Blatt withdrew the statement but maintained her core argument regarding the appropriate legal standard for disability accommodation claims against schools.
The case addresses whether families face an unfairly high burden to bring claims that schools are not meeting the needs of disabled students. The school district, represented by Lisa Blatt, argued that all types of disability accommodation claims should be held to a single, higher standard than some courts currently use.
Justices appeared skeptical of the district's position, with one calling it a "sea change" in how such cases are handled and questioning whether lower courts supported this view.
Raffi Melkonian, an appeals court litigator, observed the exchange, stating publicly afterward, "I've never heard Justice Gorsuch so angry."
A decision in the case is expected by the end of June.
