Sharif v. New York State Education Department
Plaintiffs, consisting of ten high school students and two organizations, filed an action for declaratory and injunctive relief against the State Education Department (SED) and Commissioner Thomas Sobol. They alleged that New York's exclusive use of SAT scores for Empire and Regents scholarships discriminates against female students, violating the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause and Title IX. The Court had previously granted a preliminary injunction preventing the use of SAT scores alone for 1989 scholarships. Plaintiffs then moved for class certification, proposing a class of all female high school seniors in New York state applying for these scholarships. The Court, finding that the proposed class met all requirements under Rule 23(a) (numerosity, commonality, typicality, and adequacy of representation) and Rule 23(b)(2), granted the motion for class certification. The Court rejected the defendants' argument of internal class conflict, stating it was illusory.