I remember how it was -- JR
Finally, Someone Who Dares to Sue Public Universities
Suing your beloved alma mater is never easy, but that's exactly what Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich did when he saw Arizona State University abusing its tax-exempt status to let big business avoid paying taxes. With this sleazy tactic, many universities across the country are actually becoming the largest real estate developers in their states. Brnovich also sued the Arizona Board of Regents for increasing tuition by an astronomical 300% within a few years and offering illegal immigrants in-state tuition that was lower than what American citizens attending the school from out-of-state paid. He won the latter part of that lawsuit.
So what did ASU and the Arizona Board of Regents do in response? They filed a 200+ page bar complaint against him. Since the left dominates many state bars, it is now weaponizing them to take down conservative lawyers. This way, they don’t even have to bother presenting their case to a jury and proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; just immediately threaten the person's livelihood under whatever amorphous system they have handy, tarnishing their honorable reputation and obstructing their accomplishment of anything else.
Represented by two of the biggest, most powerful law firms in the state, Perkins Coie and Snell & Wilmer, whose attorneys are very connected with the state bar and judges, ASU got some lower court judges to throw his lawsuit out. It was easy; the trial court judge was appointed to the bench by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano. His son was on a full scholarship to the University of Arizona, so obviously the last thing he wanted to do was rule against Arizona’s public university system.
However, the bogus bar complaint didn’t work because it was so bad that even the corrupt, left-wing Arizona Bar dismissed it. And the Arizona Supreme Court overturned the lower court decisions and remanded the lawsuit back to the trial court.
Taxpayers unknowingly funded the sleazy bar complaint. One of the regents who filed the bar complaint, Karrin Taylor-Robson, is running for governor as a Republican, but most conservatives don’t appreciate that and her ties to ASU, so Trump-endorsed Kari Lake is trouncing her and the rest of the competition. Gov. Doug Ducey, who’s been problematic for conservatives, opposed Brnovich on his tuition lawsuit against ASU.
Brnovich ultimately lost half of the tuition lawsuit, when the judge ruled that he didn’t have standing — a typical, often bogus way to discard a lawsuit without having to consider the merits. That judge is married to a man who works at ASU, and their child received a college scholarship to ASU. Of course, the MSM never bothered to report that. But the reality is, the Arizona Constitution says tuition at public higher ed is to be “as nearly free as possible” and if the Attorney General cannot uphold the Constitution, who can?
Brnovich’s hotel lawsuit challenged ASU allowing Omni Hotels & Resorts to rent property from it instead of buying it outright, so no one was paying property taxes. The Arizona State Constitution has a gift clause that prohibits the government from handing over money to businesses.
The deal also includes other generous benefits for the hotel. ASU is spending $19.5 million constructing a conference center to accompany the hotel, which the university will only be allowed to use seven days a year. Another $30 million will be spent to build a parking structure for the hotel and conference center, of which 275 of the 1,200 spots will go to Omni. Brnovich said this constitutes “a gift of approximately $8 million for spots that the hotel gets exclusive use of and gets to keep revenue from the spaces.”
Most people don’t go after public universities because they have deep pockets from taxpayers, which means facing the most powerful attorneys and public relations firms in the state. And lots of developers love the work they refer to them. Making matters worse, universities often aren’t subject to open records laws or legislative oversight because they conduct their activities through “foundations.” That’s how ASU tried to hide its leases with Omni.
Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, referred to Brnovich during an interview as a “brawler” due to his proactive style combating the left as AG. Talk show host Mark Levin, who endorsed Brnovich in Arizona’s U.S. Senate election, said he is one of the few Republicans on offense.
Some leading conservatives are also willing to help take on ASU. Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk, who lives in Phoenix, is getting the word out about Brnovich’s lawsuits against ASU. Kirk told Brnovich that ASU filing a bar complaint against him is the “politics of personal destruction,” reminding his listeners that Perkins Coie is a law firm used by Hillary Clinton, Facebook and Goldman Sachs.
Of course, the lefty MSM has shown little interest in covering Brnovich’s victories, and the scant coverage doesn’t even make it sound like a win. He’s prohibited by state bar rules from saying much about it. In contrast, whenever he’s gotten a negative decision from some random court, the MSM has run articles everywhere acting like it’s some huge definitive defeat. And his Republican opponents in the Senate primary race repeat the Democratic talking points about the bar complaint against him. If Brnovich was a Democrat, the MSM would be fawning all over him taking on ASU, since the left loves to rail against big business.
The left controls many aspects of society: the media, big tech, education, Hollywood, and the judiciary and state bars. Brnovich is taking on a hornet’s nest aiming for the collusion between the Higher Ed establishment, the media and big left-wing firms. But Brnovich has always been a forward-thinking conservative; he says the focus should be on holding universities accountable and making tuition lower, not “canceling” debt, which he opposes.
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Virginia parent fighting 'race-based' admissions policy wins legal battle as case heads to Supreme Court
A Virginia parent and former PTA president who openly criticized what he categorized as race-based admissions at an elite public high school was delivered a win Friday after four criminal charges were dropped.
Dr. Harry Jackson, a father and former naval intelligence officer, opposed the policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria that based admissions more on race and less on merit. Steve Descano, a Democratic prosecutor backed by billionaire George Soros, pursued criminal charges of libel and slander against Jackson over tweets published in 2020.
Jackson, also a professor at numerous other universities and the African American Community Liaison for Fairfax GOP, had accused liberal activist Jorge Torrico of "grooming" behavior.
Torrico, a member of the TJ Alumni Action Group, which supported the elimination of standardized testing and written teacher recommendation requirements for admission to the magnet school, was spotted speaking with a high school senior and student government president after a PTA meeting. Jackson took issue with Torrico allegedly seeking meetings and other bicyling outings with minors without parents present.
"Descano acquiesced to the demands of an activist through the criminal prosecution of a father for the duration of 7 months, a father concerned about the safety of underage children. This amounted to the chilling of free speech by a public official," RightDefense.org attorney Marina Medvin, recently retained to represent Jackson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"What makes this case unique is that criminal charges were brought to suppress free speech -- criminal charges, as opposed to a civil lawsuit. In this day and age, I believe it is the only case of its kind," the attorney said via email Sunday. "Freedom of speech is paramount to our Republic. Both my client and I realize this. We were not willing to show any concessions on this issue. We fought for my client's constitutional rights and the representative constitutional rights of every other individual who might find themselves being criminally prosecuted for voicing an opinion or a concern."
Descano aimed at dropping prosecution, but Medvin sought to have the charges dismissed by a Fairfax County judge in order to "restore the public's trust in the First Amendment."
"This should never have happened. But a magistrate allowed it to happen—four times," Medvin told Newsweek in a separate interview Friday, describing Descano as a "Soros-funded prosecutor."
The separate but related case involving the school admissions policy, which a federal judge previously ruled as discriminatory against Asian Americans, is also piquing the interest of the Supreme Court.
U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton ruled in February that even the school’s amended admissions policy still equated to "racial balancing," but a three-judge 4th Circuit appeals panel decided on March 31 that the school can temporarily continue to use the policy. A coalition of community members, parents and alumni filed an emergency request to vacate the stay pending an appeal filed by the school system.
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday called for a response from Fairfax County Public Schools, which has until Wednesday to present its arguments. Roberts will then decide on the application, which could include referring the case to the full court, according to Fox 5 DC.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-parent-fighting-race-based-admissions-policy-wins-supreme-court
***************************************************Tennessee governor invites private conservative college to open 50 charter schools whose anti-woke curriculum will teach students that America is 'an exceptionally good country'
The governor of Tennessee has invited a private conservative college to open 50 charter schools whose anti-woke curriculum will teach students that America is 'an exceptionally good country.'
Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, said that Hillsdale College, whose base is in Michigan, could open the schools using public funds, including $32 million set aside for charter facilities, the New York Times reported.
Hillsdale College, which has close ties with former President Donald Trump, developed the '1776 Curriculum' and is eager to add to its network of charter schools with the curriculum that focus on 'the centrality of the Western tradition.'
That curriculum - which spans 2,400 pages - was set up in response to the New York Times 1619 Project, which frames the founding of the United States through the eyes of slaves, and has been blasted for multiple inaccuracies.
'For decades, Hillsdale College has been the standard-bearer in quality curriculum and in the responsibility of preserving American liberty,' Lee told lawmakers recently. 'I believe their efforts are a good fit for Tennessee.'
The college's '1776 Curriculum' is currently being used in the two dozen member schools in about 13 states, as well as several dozen more across the country, per its website.
It comes as battles continue to rage across the US about what is being taught in public schools. Many parents have been outraged by the push towards divisive 'equity' lessons based on the teachings of critical race theory, which opponents say is divisive, and teaches white children that they are 'oppressors.'
Florida has also enacted the Parental Rights in Education Bill - the so-called 'Don't say gay' bill, in response to reports of teachers encouraging children confused about their gender identity to hide it from their parents, and even move them towards medical treatment given to transgender people.
Hillsdale has been criticized for its curriculum, which puts a spin on American history and provides a negative take on the New Deal and global warming.
But to many Republican leaders, Hillsdale is a 'shining city on a hill' for its devotion to 'liberty as an antecedent of government, not a benefit from government,' Justice Clarence Thomas said in his 2016 commencement address.
Donald Trump and Mike Pence have both spoken at the Michigan college, which has an outsize influence on US conservatives.
Gov. Lee said he sees his new charter school expansion as part of an effort to develop what he called 'informed patriotism' in Tennessee students, according to the New York Times.
The Times reported that Lee envisions an expansion into suburban and rural areas where, like many Hillsdale charter schools, they would most likely enroll children who are whiter and more affluent than the average charter student.
Atlanta Classical Academy, one of Hillsdale's schools, has some of the highest scores among schools in Georgia, the Times reported.
It focuses on traditional 'Western' subjects, including Latin and phonics.
But school racial demographics are complete opposite than public schools, where 73 percent of public school students are black and 17 percent white. Yet, Atlanta Classical Academy is 17 percent black and 71 percent white, according to a 2020 state report.
'They're catering to white families and affluent families,' said Charisse Gulosino, an associate professor of leadership and policy studies at the University of Memphis, whose research has found that students in suburban charter schools do not outperform their public school counterparts.
Hillsdale, which was founded in 1844 by abolitionists, does not accept state or federal funding, including no student grants or loans.
The Times reported this move allows the school to 'avoid some government oversight, such as compliance with federal Title IX rules governing sexual discrimination.'
Instead, the school relies partly on donations from conservative benefactors that are fueled by aggressive fund-raising campaigns, the Times reported, including on Rush Limbaugh's radio program before he died, and in Hillsdale's widely circulated digest, Imprimis, including a 2017 piece in which President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was called 'a hero to populist conservatives around the world.'
Hillsdale's president, Larry P. Arnn, and his daughter Kathleen O'Toole, who runs the charter school initiative, declined interviews with the Times.
But in a speech last year, Dr. Arnn outlined his vision for expansion — including plans for a new master's program to train teachers in classical education, a home-school division, online students and education centers.
'It's a grand adventure,' he said.
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My other blogs: Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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