State Supreme Court decision borders on skit comedy

There’s one difference between the Washington state Supreme Court’s decision to fine the Legislature $100,000 a day for failing to adequately fund public education and a Saturday Night Live skit: SNL skits are meant to be funny.

Representative Matt Manweller (R-13th District) told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson that reading Supreme Court decisions are becoming more like SNL skits, especially the idea of a fine being put into a pot that can’t be touched.

“I don’t know what they’re thinking,” Manweller exclaimed. The court is “so far beyond judicial legitimacy that even their own orders are not enforceable.”

The court held the state in contempt on Thursday for, once again, not creating a plan to better fund education &#8212 even though the Legislature came up with about $2 billion more for education during this session, on top of the $2 billion last session, Dori pointed out. The court’s role is to rule whether something is constitutional, not impose fines on taxpayers, he said.

“If you look at their order, they basically saw that taxpayers didn’t impose $4 billion of additional taxes … therefore [the court] will punish you with a fine and put it in a bucket, which you can’t spend,” Manweller said. They’re just making themselves look more and more foolish.”

Now, the court is encouraging Governor Jay Inslee to call for another special session so lawmakers can continue to find a way to further fund education. Inslee said lawmakers will meet Monday to begin preliminary work that needs to be done before a special session is called.

Dori believes the court’s order is a “backdoor” attempt to impose a state income tax, something he said the court has no right to do.

“You’re spot on about the backdoor attempt at income tax,” Manweller said.