XP: Florida's teachers union wants top court to hear appeal on voucher votes

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Aaron Deslatte | Sentinel Staff Writer
August 10, 2008

Florida's teachers union has filed an appeal in its legal fight to have two school voucher-related constitutional amendments thrown off the Nov. 4 ballot.

Florida Education Association lawyer Ron Meyer last week also filed a "suggestion" that the 1st District Court of Appeal pass the case directly for the Florida Supreme Court to hear this fall. Amendments 7 and 9 were crafted by the state's tax-reform commission to eliminate constitutional language cited by the 1st District Court of Appeal in 2004 and Florida Supreme Court in 2006 in decisions that scrapped Gov. Jeb Bush's voucher program called "Opportunity Scholarships."

The FEA has argued the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission went beyond the scope of its duties. Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper ruled against the union Monday.