Bell, Secretary of Education v. New Jersey et al. (461 U.S. 773)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided May 31, 1983 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 461 U.S. 773 · 103 S. Ct. 2187
- Decided
- May 31, 1983
- Term
- October Term 1982
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice O'Connor
- Issue area
- Federalism
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
Opinion excerpt
Justice O’Connor delivered the opinion of the Court. In this case we consider both the rights of the Federal Government when a State misuses funds advanced as part of a federal grant-in-aid program under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the manner in which the Government may assert those rights. We hold that the Federal Government may recover misused funds, that the Department of Education may determine administratively the amount of the debt, and that the State may seek judicial review of the agency’s determination. rH The respondents, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, received grants from the Federal Government under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), Pub. L. 89-10, 79 Stat. 27, as amended, 20 U. S. C. §2701 et seq. (1976 ed., Supp. V). Title I created a program designed to improve the educational opportunities available to disadvantaged children. §102, 20 U. S. C. §2702 (1976 ed., Supp. V). Local educational agencies obtain federal grants through state educational agencies, which in turn obtain grants from the Department of Education upon providing assurances to the Secretary that the local educational agencies will spend the funds only on qualifying programs. § 182(a), 20 U. S. C. §2832(a) (1976 ed., Supp. V). In auditing New Jersey for the period September 1, 1970, through August 1973, and Pennsylvania for the period…
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