Russell Coleman v. Jefferson County…

Summary

The court affirmed judgments invalidating SB 1 because its unequal allocation of authority between the Jefferson County school board and superintendent lacked any reasonably articulable natural and distinctive basis. The court held that challenges under Sections 59 and 60 require examining whether a legislative classification reasonably advances the statute’s purposes, with the government receiving a presumption of constitutionality. Applying that standard de novo, the court concluded that SB 1 unlawfully constituted special legislation concerning common-school management.