Cuccinelli declines to defend McDonnell-backed law allowing state to take over failing schools
Published September 3, 2013
RICHMOND, Va. — Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has declined to defend one of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s signature education reform laws in court, saying he agrees with critics that it is unconstitutional.
The new law allows the state to take over chronically failing schools. It was a major and hotly contested component of McDonnell’s education agenda during the 2013 General Assembly…..
Stephen J. Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, noted that the constitutionality of the law was an issue during the legislative session.
“I suppose it’s nice when the stars align,” he said. “You have a legal reason for not doing something, a political reason for not doing something, which adds up to a candidate for governor not doing something. I would not ascribe entirely political motives to this step, but the timing is good.”
