Williamson had issued a tentative ruling late yesterday and conducted a brief hearing this morning. After hearing arguments by attorneys, Williamson rejected the charter law challengers' arguments and denied their petition for a writ of mandate to halt implementation of the charter laws. The suit asked the court to order the State Board of Education to halt implementation of the charter laws. Press' brief defending the Charter Act was supported by declarations from former state senator Gary K. Hart, author of California's original Charter Schools Act, Dennis Mah, Acting Director of the Bowling Green Charter School in Sacramento, and Janet Sterling of the California Department of Education. Williamson's comments from the bench were brief.
Observers speculate that the judge saw the case as something of a nuisance.
He invited the challengers to return to court if their colorful allegations come to pass in the future. Though an appeal is possible, and perhaps likely given Carmen's track record, attorneys defending the charter laws were very pleased with today's ruling and continue to believe that California's charter laws are based on firm constitutional ground.