Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s (R) school voucher scheme has been plagued by a series of problems, including directing public funds to “schools” with truly bizarre lesson plans, and financing religious ministries led by some, shall we say, eccentric pastors.
Making matters worse, however, were the legal questions surrounding the controversial law. Today, a judge in Baton Rouge approved of the process by which the law was passed, but said the diversion of taxpayer dollars to private schools is unconstitutional.
The ruling, which came almost immediately after a three-day long court hearing, came in two parts. […]
[Judge Tim Kelley] declared the diversion of funds from the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP) — the formula under which per pupil public education funds are calculated — to private entities was unconstitutional.
The suit was brought by Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT), Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE), Louisiana School Boards Association and 43 local school boards.
It seems all but certain that the Jindal administration will appeal the ruling, though the governor’s signature policy is clearly off to a very poor start.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."