The decision marks a reversal from a previous ruling by the high court, which had upheld the law. Parts of the bill placed new limitations on school boards in county school districts where there is a consolidated local government. But the law, as currently written, would only apply in one district: Jefferson County.
The big question: Did the legislature overreach by effectively singling out one county?
JCPS argued that it did, saying it ran afoul of constitutional rules prohibiting special and local legislation. Matt Kuhn with the Kentucky Attorney General's Office said the language only creates an open class where the new school board restrictions would apply, and it could expand to other communities.
Attorney General Russell Coleman said in a statement that he was "stunned" by the new ruling, describing the effect as "devastating for JCPS students and (leaving) them trapped in a failing system."
Backers of the law argue overturning it would allow for legal challenges that could undo merged city-county governments in Louisville and Lexington.