OLYMPIA — The chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court shared some of the court’s thinking behind its McCleary school finance ruling this week.
Justice Barbara Madsen told TVW’s Inside Olympia program the court made its 2012 McCleary decision in part because of what happened in 1977 after a similar case was decided.
She says in 1977, they deferred to the Legislature, believing lawmakers would do what the court mandated. This time, they retained jurisdiction over the case, because Madsen says they didn’t have quite the same amount of confidence in the Legislature.
Since the 2012 McCleary decision, the court has found the state in contempt of court and imposed a $100,000-per-day sanction. Madsen says she isn’t surprised some lawmakers feel the court has overstepped.
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