Week in Review: Unanimous Victory Over Government Unions

It’s never happened before—until now.

A unanimous Arizona Supreme Court this week sided with the Goldwater Institute in striking down one of the most egregious taxpayer abuses in the state—public-sector labor union “release time,” which “releases” government employees from the jobs they were hired to perform so they can work full-time for the union instead, on the taxpayers’ dime.

The decision, Goldwater’s 11th victory in the state Supreme Court, is the first time that a state high court has square struck down release time as unconstitutional. Government entities throughout Arizona—and the United States—should take notice when they seek to transfer taxpayer funds to their political cronies.

Read more here.

Biden Admin Rule Would Hurt Parents

The Biden Administration thinks it knows what’s best for kids, better than their own parents.

The administration recently adopted new rules “reinterpreting” Title IX—a law meant to prevent discrimination against women in public schools—to allow school officials to engage in the “gender transition” of a child without informing their parents. This week, the Goldwater Institute filed a brief in federal court arguing these rules should not take effect nationwide. After all, the Constitution protects parents’ rights to direct the care and upbringing of their children, which they can’t do if schools are hiding important information about kids’ mental and physical health.

The Biden Administration wants to cut parents out of the decision-making process. We can’t let that happen.

Read more here. 

Taxpayer-Funded Wine Tastings?
School Leaders Splurge on Glitzy DEI Conference

Who wouldn’t want to spend a few days at a five-star resort and spa in California wine country leisurely enjoying wine-tasting parties at Napa Valley wineries?

It wasn’t a timeshare presentation—it was an all-expenses-paid vacation funded by the taxpayers. Public records obtained by the Goldwater Institute reveal that one Phoenix public school district sent officials to attend a glitzy conference focused on implementing the racially discriminatory tenets of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) in schools—to the tune of $4,000 per person.

Creighton Elementary School District leaders have yet to divulge why Phoenix school district officials attended a California state education DEI conference. But taxpayers deserve answers.

Read more here.