By Associated Press
Washington, DC – The U-S Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to Alabama's property tax system that was filed by plaintiffs in the state's long-running higher education desegregation case.
The plaintiffs in the 25-year-old case, which was settled in December, filed a challenge in 2004 to the state's lowest-in-the-nation property tax system and its revenue-restricting measures.
The plaintiffs had argued that Alabama's limits on property tax revenues do not sufficiently fund K-through-12 schools, forcing the state to use money that should go to higher education.
Attorneys for the state argued that the tax issue was properly reviewed by lower courts and that the state's limits on property tax revenues have NOT been shown to cause segregation in higher education.
A plaintiffs' attorney said the situation needs to be studied before a decision about filing a new lawsuit is made.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)