SALENA ZITO: Democrats’ Scheme In Mississippi Fails:

In Mississippi, the teachers’ unions and some wealthy advocates put a referendum on the ballot that would require the legislature to fully fund the education formula, a massive increase over current funding.

If you sue the state of Mississippi for failing to do its job (like not funding the education formula), the case is heard in Hinds County where the state capitol, Jackson, sits — the state’s most liberal jurisdiction.

In other words, a judge elected by the state’s most-liberal electorate would have the power to overrule any legislative decision about school funding.

That could include consolidating districts. So, in theory, you could have a city district and a county district side-by-side — one sufficiently funded, the other not — and the judge could order the consolidation of those schools to equalize funding.

This push was an elaborate scheme, dressed up as “fairness,” to transfer control of education funding from the legislature to the courts.

I’m becoming more sympathetic to the idea of an elected judiciary, particularly at the highest levels.