Law & Courts

Controversial Conversation

By Linda Jacobson — May 09, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A lunchtime meeting between a Kansas Supreme Court justice and the president of the state Senate in which the ongoing school finance lawsuit against the state was discussed has prompted a request for an investigation by a judicial panel.

On March 1, Justice Lawton R. Nuss met at a Mexican restaurant in Topeka with Senate President Stephen Morris and Sen. Pete Brungardt, both Republicans.

In an April 26 memo to the Republican caucus, Sen. Morris wrote that the conversation about the finance case lasted only about five minutes. He said that Justice Nuss wanted to know how a House bill recommending $500 million for schools compared with figures compiled by a state auditor and with the figures in a cost study by the Denver-based school finance consultants John G. Augenblick and John L. Myers.

“The justice did make a comment that he had read quotes in the paper indicating several leaders would like to see a bipartisan school finance plan adopted by the legislature before final adjournment,” Sen. Morris wrote. “He said he thought that sounded good. This was the extent of the discussion.”

“With pressing issues still awaiting action,” he continued, “it is unfortunate some are attempting to blow this situation out of proportion. We must move on to the important issues yet to be resolved.”

A statement issued by the supreme court on April 20 supported Mr. Morris’ account.

Still, Justice Nuss has withdrawn from the case to avoid an appearance of impropriety. Chief Justice Kay McFarland has asked the state’s Commission on Judicial Qualifications to look into whether the justice violated ethical standards.

See Also

The issue comes at a time when the Kansas legislature, which has been ordered by the court to increase school aid, is trying to meet that demand before the end of this year’s session.

Some legislators argue that the conversation proves that the court is trying to legislate from the bench.

But representatives of the education community hope lawmakers will look past the controversy. “The luncheon was an unfortunate incident in that it served as a distraction to the work being done,” Jim Edwards, a government-relations specialist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said in an e-mail.

“All in all, cooler heads have seemed to prevail,” he said.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the May 10, 2006 edition of Education Week

Events

Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum How to Teach Digital & Media Literacy in the Age of AI
Join this free event to dig into crucial questions about how to help students build a foundation of digital literacy.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Taking Action: Three Keys to an Effective Multitiered System to Supports
Join renowned intervention experts, Dr. Luis Cruz and Mike Mattos for a webinar on the 3 essential steps to MTSS success.
Content provided by Solution Tree
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Cohesive Instruction, Connected Schools: Scale Excellence District-Wide with the Right Technology
Ensure all students receive high-quality instruction with a cohesive educational framework. Learn how to empower teachers and leverage technology.
Content provided by Instructure

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Law & Courts Court Upholds Injunction on Arizona Transgender Sports Ban for Young Athletes
A federal appeals court upholds an injunction against an Arizona law, allowing two transgender girls to compete on female teams.
3 min read
Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, left, a Republican, takes the ceremonial oath of office from Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel, right, as wife Carmen Horne, middle, holds the bible in the public inauguration ceremony at the state Capitol in Phoenix, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.
Arizona schools chief Tom Horne, left, takes the ceremonial oath of office at the state Capitol in Phoenix in January 2023. The Republican is the lead defendant in a lawsuit filed by two transgender girls challenging the Save Women's Sports Act, which bars transgender women and girls from female sports.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
Law & Courts How Moms for Liberty's Legal Strategy Has Upended Title IX Rules for Schools
The grassroots group's tactic is confounding schools across the country trying to keep up with which Title IX rules apply to them.
7 min read
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump addressed the group's annual convention in Washington on Aug. 30. One popular session was about Moms for Liberty's lawsuit challenging the Biden administration's Title IX regulation.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Leaves Biden's Title IX Rule Fully Blocked in 26 States
The court's action effectively leaves in place broad injunctions blocking the entire regulation in 26 states and at schools in other states.
5 min read
The Supreme Court building is seen on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Washington.
The Supreme Court building is seen on Thursday, June 13, 2024, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Law & Courts Iowa's Book Ban Is Reinstated by Appeals Court But Case Against It Will Continue
The Iowa law bars books depicting sex in school libraries and discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in preK-6.
4 min read
An LGBTQ+ related book is seen on shelf at Fabulosa Books a store in the Castro District of San Francisco on Thursday, June 27, 2024. "Books Not Bans" is a program initiated and sponsored by the store that sends boxes of LGBTQ+ books to LGBTQ+ organizations in conservative parts of America, places where politicians are demonizing and banning books with LGBTQ+ affirming content.
An LGBTQ+ book section is seen at Fabulosa Books, a store in San Francisco, on June 27, 2024. A federal appeals court has reinstated an Iowa law that prohibits books depicting sex from public school libraries. Challengers claim the law has led school districts to remove scores of books out of fear of violating the law.
Haven Daley/AP