Jackson v. Benson
| Citation | 578 N.W.2d 602,218 Wis.2d 835 |
| Decision Date | 10 June 1998 |
| Docket Number | No. 97-0270,97-0270 |
| Parties | , 126 Ed. Law Rep. 399 Warner JACKSON, Jennifer Evans, Wendell Harris, The Reverend Andrew Kennedy, Rabbi Isaac Serotta, Ceil Ann Libber, Father Thomas J. Mueller, Reverend John N. Gregg, Diane Brewer, Colleen Beaman, Mary Morris, Penny Morse, Kathleen Jones and Philip Jones, Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. John T. BENSON, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Department of Public Instruction and James E. Doyle, Defendants-Appellants-Petitioners, Marquelle Miller, Cynthia Miller, Angela Gray, Zachery Gray, Shon Richardson, George Richardson, Latrisha Henry, Faye Henry, Reigne Barrett, Valerie Barrett, Candice Williams, Senton Williams, Clintrai Giles, Sharon Giles, Intervenors-Defendants-Appellants, Parents For School Choice, Pilar Gonzalez, Dinah Cooley, Julie Vogel, Kate Helsper, Blong Yang, Gail Crockett, Yolanda Lassiter and Jeanine Knox, Intervenors- Defendants- Appellants- Petitioners, d MILWAUKEE TEACHERS' EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, by its President, M. Charles HOWARD, Michael Lengyel, Donald Lucier, Tracy Adams, Milwaukee Public Schools Administrators and Supervisors Council, Inc., by its Executive Director, Carl A. Gobel, People for the American Way, by its Executive Vice President and Legal Director, Elliott M. Minceberg, John Drew, Susan Endress, Richard Riley, Jeanette Robertson, Vincent Knox, Bertha Zamudio, James Johnson, Robert Ullman and Sally F. Mills, Plaintiffs-Respondents, v. John T. BENSON, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Department of Public Instruction and James E. Doyle, Defendants-Appellants-Petitioners, Marquelle Miller, Cynthia Miller, Angela Gray, Zachery Gray, Shon Richardson, George Richardson, Latrisha Henry, Faye Henry, Reigne Barrett, Valerie Barrett, Candice Williams, Senton Williams, Clintrai Giles, Sharon Giles, Intervenors-Defendants-Appellants, Parents For School Choice, Pilar Gonzalez, Dinah Cooley, Julie Vogel, Kate Helsper, Blong Yang, Gail Crockett, Yolanda Lassiter and Jeanine Knox, Intervenors- Defendants- Appellants- Petitio |
| Court | United States State Supreme Court of Wisconsin |
For the defendants-appellants-petitioners, John T. Benson, et al., there were briefs by Edward S. Marion and Murphy & Desmond, S.C., Madison and Kenneth W. Starr, Jay P. Lefkowitz, Theodore W. Ullyot and Kirkland & Ellis, Washington, DC, and oral argument by Jay P. Lefkowitz.
For the intervenors-defendants-appellants-petitioners, parents for school choice, et al., there were briefs by Steve P. Hurley and Hurley, Burish & Milliken, S.C., Madison; William H. Mellor, III, Clint Bolick, Nicole S. Garnett and Institute for Justice, Washington, DC and Michael D. Dean, Waukesha and oral argument by Clint Bolick.
For the intervenors-defendants-appellants, Marquelle Millter, et al., there were briefs by Kevin Potter and Brennan Steil, Madison and Richard P. Hutchison and Landmark Legal Foundation, Kansas City, MO and oral argument by Richard P. Hutchison.
For the plaintiffs-respondents, Warner Jackson, et al., there was a brief by Jeffrey J. Kassel, Melanie E. Cohen and LaFollette & Sinykin, Madison; Peter M. Koneazny and American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Foundation, Inc., Milwaukee; Steven R. Shapiro and American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, New York City, and Steven K. Green and Americans United for Separation of Church & State, Washington, DC, and oral argument by Jeffrey J. Kassel.
For the plaintiffs-respondents, there was a brief by Robert H. Chanin, John M. West and Bredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C., Washington, DC; Richard Perry, Richard Saks and Perry, Lerner & Quindel, Milwaukee; Bruce Meredith, Chris Galinat and Wisconsin Education Association, Madison; Elliot M. Mincberg, Judith Schaeffer, Washington, DC and Timothy Hawks and Schneidman, Myers, Dowling & Blumenfield, Milwaukee and oral argument by Robert H. Chanin.
For the plaintiffs-respondents, NAACP, et al., there was a brief by William H. Lynch and Law Offices of William H. Lynch, Milwaukee and James H. Hall, Jr., and Hall, Patterson & Charne, Milwaukee and oral argument by James H. Hall, Jr.
Amicus curiae was filed by K. Scott Wagner and Hale & Lein, S.C., Milwaukee and James C. Geoly, Kevin R. Gustafson and Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C., Chicago, IL for the Center for Education Reform, American Legislative Exchange, CEO America, CEO Central Florida, CEO Connecticut, Putting Children First, James Madison Institute for Public Policy Studies, Jewish Policy Center, "I Have a Dream" Foundation (Washington, D.C.Chapter), Institute for Public Affairs, Liberty Counsel, Maine School Choice Coalition, Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association, Reach Alliance, Arkansas Policy Foundation, North Carolina Education Reform Foundation, Texas Justice Foundation, Minnesota Business Partnership, Minnesotans for School Choice, Toussaint Institute, South Carolina Policy Counsel, and United New Yorkers for Choice in Education.
Amicus curiae was filed by Ralph I. Thomas, Madison; Steven T. McFarland, Kimberlee W. Colby and Christian Legal Society, Annandale, VA and of counsel, Thomas C. Berg and Cumberland Law School, Birmingham, AL for The Christian Legal Society, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the National Association of Evangelicals.
Amicus curiae was filed by David R. Riemer, Milwaukee for Howard L. Fuller, John O. Norquist, Steven M. Foti, Alberta Darling, Margaret A. Farrow, Joseph Leean, John S. Gardner, Warren D. Braun, Bruce R. Thompson, Jeanette Mitchell and David Lucey.
Amicus curiae was filed by Daniel Kelly and McLario, Helm & Bertling, S.C., Menomonee Falls for the Family Research Institute, Christian Defense Fund, Center for Public Justice, Family Research Council, Toward Tradition, Liberty Counsel and Focus on the Family.
Amicus curiae was filed by Bradden C. Backer and Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., Milwaukee and Robert L. Gordon and Weiss, Berzowski, Brady & Donahue, Milwaukee for The Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations and The Wisconsin Jewish Conference.
Amicus curiae was filed by Marc D. Stern, Lois C. Waldmani and American Jewish Congress, New York City, for American Jewish Congress.
¶1
This case raises a number of issues for review:
(1) Does the amended Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (amended MPCP) violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution? Neither the court of appeals nor the circuit court reached this issue. We conclude that it does not.
(2) Does the amended MPCP violate the religious establishment provisions of Wisconsin Constitution art. I, § 18? In a divided opinion, the court of appeals held that it does. We conclude that it does not.
(3) Is the amended MPCP a private or local bill enacted in violation of the procedural requirements mandated by Wis. Const. art. IV, § 18? The court of appeals did not reach this question, and the circuit court held it is. We conclude that it is not.
(4) Does the amended MPCP violate the uniformity provision of Wis. Const. art. X, § 3? The court of appeals did not reach this issue, and the circuit court concluded that the amended MPCP does not violate the uniformity clause. We also conclude that it does not.
(5) Does the amended MPCP violate Wisconsin's public purpose doctrine, which requires that public funds be spent only for public purposes? The court of appeals did not reach this issue, and the circuit court concluded that the amended MPCP does violate the public purpose doctrine. We conclude that it does not.
(6) Should children who were eligible for the amended MPCP when this court's injunction issued on August 25, 1995, and who subsequently enrolled in private schools, be eligible for the program if the injunction is lifted? Neither court below addressed this issue. We conclude that they should.
¶2 This case is before the court on petition for review of a published decision of the court of appeals, Jackson v. Benson, 213 Wis.2d 1, 570 N.W.2d 407 (Ct.App.1997). The court of appeals, in a 2-1 decision, affirmed an order of the Circuit Court for Dane County, Paul B. Higginbotham, Judge, granting the Respondents' motion for summary judgment. The majority of the court of appeals concluded that the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, Wis. Stat. § 119.23, 1995 Wis. Act 27, §§ 4002-4009 (amended MPCP), was invalid under Article I, § 18 of the Wisconsin Constitution because it directs payments of money from the state treasury for the benefit of religious seminaries. The majority of the court of appeals declined to decide whether the amended MPCP violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment or other provisions of the Wisconsin Constitution. In dissent, Judge Roggensack concluded that the amended MPCP did not violate either the federal or state constitution. The State appealed from the decision of the court of appeals. We granted the State's petition for review and now reverse the decision of the court of appeals. We also conclude that the amended MPCP does not violate the Establishment Clause or the Wisconsin Constitution.
¶3 We are once again asked to review the constitutionality of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program provided in Wis. Stat. § 119.23 (1995-96). 1 The Wisconsin legislature enacted the original Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (original MPCP) in 1989. See 1989 Wis. Act...
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