After nearly 90 minutes of constitutional arguments and pointed questions, a turf war between state superintendent Sherri Ybarra, the Legislature and the State Board of Education is now in the Idaho Supreme Court's hands.
It's unclear when the Supreme Court will rule in the case. And on Friday, justices didn't really tip their hand either. During a hearing held over Zoom, the five justices took turns grilling attorneys for Ybarra, the Legislature and the State Board.
The immediate matter at hand involves 18 employees who now work for Ybarra's State Department of Education. The 2020 Legislature voted to move those employees to the State Board, over Ybarra's objections. The transfer would go into effect July 1, which is why the Supreme Court has fast-tracked Ybarra's lawsuit against the Legislature and the State Board.
But Friday's arguments didn't just focus on the actions of this year's Legislature, which unfolded in the final days of the 2020 session. Attorneys also argued constitutional language dating back 13 years, and whether the elected superintendent or the State Board sets Idaho's education policy.
