Rep. Cantor Demands DoJ Drop School Voucher Lawsuit

Administration fights school choice for the poor in Louisiana

Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) demanded Monday that Attorney General Eric Holder withdraw a federal lawsuit against the state of Louisiana over school vouchers and vowed the House would act if Holder refuses.

The Justice Department is suing to restrict the Louisiana Scholarship Program, which provides vouchers for low-income parents to send their children to private schools. The Justice Department says the program is impeding civil rights-era orders to desegregate the schools.

Cantor assailed the move Monday during an education speech in Philadelphia, calling the lawsuit "absurd" and hailing the Louisiana voucher program as "a civil rights solution," not a "violation."