Arizona court rules against school choice

OneNewsNow ^ | 5/16/08 | Associated Press

[Jim W N]

An Arizona court has ruled against school choice for parents, forcing them to continue sending their children to failing public schools.

A state appellate court in Arizona has ruled that two voucher programs for foster and disabled children attending private schools violate the Arizona Constitution by using public money to help private and religious schools.

The 3-0 ruling Thursday by a Court of Appeals panel in Tucson reverses a trial judge's ruling that upheld the programs enacted in 2006 at the urging of school choice supporters.

The programs provide grants worth thousands of dollars for students, with the money paid in checks to parents who must endorse them over to the schools involved.

Supporters of the programs say they will ask the state Supreme Court to review the ruling.

[Jim W N]

Here we go again. Although I don't know for certain, most likely theres nothing in the law or Arizona constitution that forbids the concept of vouchers. If that's true, then once again judges are making it up as they go.

The only answer to this, other than electing better executives who will appoint better judges, is a constitutional amendment making it an impeachable offense for a Justice to willfully and obviously ignore the written text and meaning of the constitution.

[Clintonfatigued]

On to the state Supreme Court. And, hopefully, if vouchers are rejected, more parents will take matters into their own hands (homeschooling when feasible).

[NutCrackerBoy]

An Arizona court has ruled against school choice for parents, forcing them to continue sending their children to failing public schools.

I'm surprised Associated Press used that phrasing which sounds pro-school-choice.

[Spktyr]

No, they’re doing it in an effort to paint the parents as “selfish” for depriving the “poor, underfunded” public school system of “much needed funds”.

Such is the narrative they’re using.

[Jim W N]

No, they’re doing it in an effort to paint the parents as “selfish” for depriving the “poor, underfunded” public school system of “much needed funds”.

All of this personal moral evaluation by the judges has of course nothing to do with the written law which is the ONLY thing they are supposed to apply. Judges don't have to agree with the laws, they're just supposed to uphold them. It should be an impeachable offense for them do do otherwise regardless of their own personal value systems.