Three students filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of South Dakota last week to overturn a federal provision that denies federal financial aid to students with a drug conviction.

The student plaintiffs and Students for Sensible Drug Policy Foundation filed the lawsuit against Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. The purpose of the class-action lawsuit is to prove the Higher Education Act provision unconstitutional. The students were each convicted of possession of a controlled substance and denied federal financial aid under the law.

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