OLYMPIA, Wash. – In a move that was either cruelly ironic or a deliberate thumb in the eye of Washington residents, the state Supreme Court chose the first day of Labor Day weekend to demonstrate its loyalties reside with the labor leaders who put them in office rather than the constitution they are sworn to uphold.

The decision in League of Women Voters v. Washington State was obviously timed deliberately for late Friday afternoon so as to avoid as much public scrutiny as possible. And by effectively killing charter schools in Washington – for now – the court amply demonstrated it cares deeply about appeasing the union that made the maximum allowable contribution in the most recent election cycle to most of the justices who voted with the majority but not a bit about the quality of education the ruling will produce.

“Charter schools represented a modest attempt to subject the education system in this state to the same market forces that make every other human endeavor better and more affordable,” said Tom McCabe, CEO of the Freedom Foundation. “But the court very clearly showed it cares more about preserving the corrupt monopoly education system than it does about the students. The decision strains logic to apply a ruling unused for 80 years to a school funding system that has changed enormously. 

“It’s checkbook justice. No more, no less,” McCabe said. “The union bought a majority on the Supreme Court, and now it gets to cash in on that investment. Once again, we see Washington has the best court the union’s money can buy.”