Court Opinion

ID: 9533477
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:32:03.199065+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:29:03.880030
License: Public Domain

MESCHKE, Justice,
concurring.
I concur with the majority opinion as supplemented by the concurring opinion of Justice VandeWalle. The legislative background of these statutes reinforces the reasoning of the Investment Rarities decision, cited in the majority opinion as controlling.
I write separately to notice an issue not dealt with in the majority opinion. The trial court cited Investment Rarities for its ruling: “When declared final, the Court has no judicial review authority” over decisions by the North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction. On appeal to this court, Van Inwagens did not at first confront the Investment Rarities analysis. Finally, in their Reply Brief, Van Inwagens suggested that they “did ask the district court to consider this matter as a special proceeding” but referred us only to their original “Appeal From Administrative Decision.”
Their Appeal to the district court primarily sought the exemption or a remand for a new administrative hearing, rather than seeking special judicial relief. Neither cer-tiorari (NDCC ch. 32-33), mandamus (NDCC ch. 32-34), nor prohibition (NDCC ch. 32-35) were identified as being sought in that “Appeal.”
Thereafter, however, Van Inwagens sought to amend their “Appeal” to include a claim for mandamus. The trial court denied this motion in its ruling. Van In-wagens did not identify or develop a mandamus issue in their appeal to this court. Therefore, I concur in the silent ruling of *518the majority opinion that this separate issue did not merit our decision.1
As in Investment Rarities, today’s decision does not preclude any person from seeking a special proceeding or other appropriate remedy to test the validity of action by the North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction, nor do we decide any issue of exhaustion of remedies.

. North Dakota has now authorized supervised home schooling. House Bill No. 1421 of the 1989 Legislative Assembly, as amended, enacted, and signed by Governor Sinner on April 7, 1989.