Florida Supreme Court Removes Proposed School Voucher Ballot Initiatives from November Ballot
September 3, 2008
On September 3, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court held in Ford v. Browning that two ballot initiatives which proposed constitutional amendments concerning school vouchers could not lawfully be placed on the November 2008 general election ballot.
In this appeal, brought on behalf of the National Education Association, the Florida Education Association, and coalition partners, the firm argued that the two amendments proposed by Florida’s Taxation and Budget Reform Commission exceeded the authority of that Commission to propose amendments to Florida’s constitution. The amendments were specifically designed to undo the rulings of the Florida Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in Bush v. Holmes, 919 So. 2d 392 (Fla. 2006). (See NY Times story describing the case).