The Institute for Justice released the following response to the temporary injunction imposed by Judge Robert Hobgood that stops the Opportunity Scholarship program that gives hope to low-income families.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  February 21, 2014

CONTACT:    J. Justin Wilson, office – (703) 682-9320 ext. 206; cell – (202) 413-5716

North Carolina Parents & IJ

Vow to Continue Fight for School Choice

With 2,400 students’ futures hanging in the balance, IJ to appeal judge’s ruling

Arlington, Va.-This afternoon, Judge Robert Hobgood suspended the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Program at a Wake County Superior Court hearing in Raleigh.  The program, which is well underway, will now be on hold pending the outcome of the litigation.  More than 4,500 applications have already been filed for just 2,400 scholarships, making North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship Program the first school choice program in the country to be oversubscribed in its first year.

The Institute for Justice will appeal the ruling.  IJ Senior Attorney Dick Komer said, “This is not the end of this litigation.  It is merely the end of the beginning.”

IJ Attorney Renée Flaherty added, “We believe the judge has misread the text of the North Carolina Constitution.  It in no way prohibits the creation of innovative programs such as the Opportunity Scholarship Program that give our poorest families additional educational options.”

Judge Hobgood’s order is forthcoming.

IJ President Chip Mellor said, “The teachers’ association, the school boards association and their allies have won the first round, but the Institute for Justice and the parents are in this case for the long haul.  We will not rest until this appalling miscarriage of justice is reversed.  There is too much on the line for us to do anything else.”