The supreme court has given lawyers for the urban schoolchildren who brought the suit, Abbott v. Burke, until June 12 to file briefs in the case. The state has until July 12 to file its response. The court will hear arguments in the case on Sept. 25.
Marilyn J. Morheuser, the lawyer for the schoolchildren, filed a motion with the court on April 27 requesting that it assume immediate jurisdiction over the dispute. In a surprisingly quick move, the court agreed the following day.
Under the terms of a prior supreme court order, the plaintiffs were forced to exhaust all state administrative remedies before their case could reach the courts. Last year, an administrative law judge ruled in the schoolchildren’s favor, but the state school chief and state board rejected his findings.--nm