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Quotation from Plyler v. Doe by Supreme Court of the United States
“Denying a free education to illegal alien children is not a choice I would make were I a legislator. Apart from compassionate considerations, the long-range costs of excluding any children from the public schools may well outweigh the costs of educating them. But that is not the issue; the fact that there are sound policy arguments against the Texas Legislature's choice does not render that choice an unconstitutional one.”
Plyler v. Doe, Dissent of Chief Justice Burger (excerpt), Part I-B (U.S. Reports text (Legal Information Institute))
Burger separates his own view of the policy from the constitutional question.
Citation: "Denying a free education to illegal alien children is not a choice I would make were I a legislator. Apart from compassionate considerations, the long-range costs of excluding any children from the public schools may well outweigh the costs of educating them. But that is not the issue; the fact that there are sound policy arguments against the Texas Legislature's choice does not render that choice an unconstitutional one." — Supreme Court of the United States, Plyler v. Doe, Dissent of Chief Justice Burger (excerpt), Part I-B (U.S. Reports text (Legal Information Institute)). (id plyler-v-doe-q6)
Portrait: US Supreme Court Justice William Brennan - 1972 official portrait, Robert S. Oakes, Public domain.
