AG Fails To Remove Detroit School Board Members
DETROIT (WWJ) - Several Detroit School board members will stay on the job after an appeals court ruled in their favor in a lawsuit filed by the State Attorney General.
Attorney General Bill Schuette challenged the election of 7 of the 11 school board members elected by district -- arguing that they should not hold office based on a state law that prohibits election by district for school systems less than 100,000 students.
"What's remarkable about that argument is the law has provided for district elections since 1999," said attorney George Washington, who represented the school board.
"This was a bogus lawsuit from the beginning, and it was a lawsuit that the Attorney General just showed great contempt for Detroit. Detroit had elected candidates, people had run according to the rules set by the county clerk, and he came in to try to set it aside," Washington said.
"They only chose to bring this lawsuit the moment the Emergency Manager Law went on the ballot. This was politically motivated. It never had any merit," he said.
Schuette's office says he will make a decision on whether to appeal after reviewing the ruling.
