Federal Judge: Police Pepper-Spraying Birmingham Students for Discipline Is Unconstitutional
Between 2006 and 2011, police officers patrolling Birmingham City Schools pepper-sprayed students more than a hundred times. But late Thursday, months after a trial that concluded in February, U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon ruled the practice unconstitutional.
Although the ruling says chemical sprays are sometimes warranted, hence the lack of a total ban, the judge called using them in typical school-discipline scenarios “profoundly disturbing.” He ordered the Birmingham Police Department to drastically improve spray-weapons training for school resource officers. That would include, among other things, decontamination protocols and having changes of clothes available for students who’ve been sprayed.
The judge also awarded six of the eight unnamed plaintiffs a total of $40,000 for officers’ use of “excessive force,” for failure to decontaminate sprayed students, or for — in two cases — both.
During a media call organized by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which filed the lawsuit in 2010, a plaintiff and former Birmingham high school student identified as B.D. said, “Today we’re just happy that there won’t be any more of what we went through. It’s good to know children can finally go to school and feel safe.”
Police lawyers are not commenting except to say they “respectfully disagree ” with the ruling and that “all legal options are on the table.”
To view the 120-page ruling, click here. To listen to the October 1 SPLC media call, which includes thoughts from the case’s lead attorney, plaintiff B.D., and B.D.’s mother, click below.
In blunt warning, the U.S. says Peru could lose its sovereignty to China
The Trump administration on Wednesday expressed concern that China was costing Peru its sovereignty after a Peruvian court ruling restricted a local regulator's oversight of a Chinese-built mega port.
U.S. ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates win Olympic silver, in a stunning upset
Chock and Bates, four-time Olympians, were heavily favored for gold. But they lost by less than two points to a French duo who has been clouded by controversy involving their former partners.
AI brings Supreme Court decisions to life
Like it or not, the justices are about to see AI versions of themselves, speaking words that they spoke in court but that were not heard contemporaneously by anyone except those in the courtroom.
These monks’ walk for peace captivated Americans. It ends this week
A group of Buddhist monks walked from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., in the name of peace. The 108-day pilgrimage captivated Americans.
The airspace around El Paso is open again. Why it closed is in dispute
The Federal Aviation Administration abruptly closed the airspace around El Paso, only to reopen it hours later. The bizarre episode pointed to a lack of coordination between the FAA and the Pentagon.
‘Dawson’s Creek’ star James Van Der Beek has died at 48
Van Der Beek played Dawson Leery on the hit show Dawson's Creek. He announced his colon cancer diagnosis in 2024.
