Court Opinion

ID: 9758300
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 23:19:56.436189+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:28:49.110852
License: Public Domain

Jim Gunter, Justice, dissenting. The majority opinion claims that it is not the court’s intention to monitor the upcoming session of the General Assembly, yet that is exactly what it will be doing by granting the intervenors/appellees’ motion. This court has previously pronounced that it is “not this court’s constitutional role to monitor the General Assembly on an ongoing basis over an extended period of time until the educational programs have all been completely implemented.” Lake View Sch. Dist. No. 25 v. Huckabee, 358 Ark. 137, 161, 189 S.W.3d 1, 17 (2004). However, each and every time that this court appoints the masters and reviews the legislature’s actions, it acts as a “brooding” super-legislature, the very action which this court sought to avoid when it released jurisdiction and issued the mandate in 2004 when compliance with our mandates was well underway. Id. at 160, 189 S.W.3d at 16. In complete contradiction of this court’s very clear pronouncements to the contrary, the majority is again retaining jurisdiction of this case and continuing to monitor the legislature’s actions. I simply cannot support or condone such a blatant violation of this court’s constitutional role. For this reason, I respectfully dissent. Hannah, C.J., joins.