The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in the case of a Michigan school district’s lawsuit that asks it to overturn a court ruling that said the state cannot use public money to buy media that is owned by media companies.
The Michigan School District of Kewaunee filed the suit against the state’s Public Broadcasting Board of Governors (PBBG), the state Department of Education, the state-owned television stations, the Michigan Public Broadcasting Network, and the Michigan Broadcasting Association.
The board is owned and operated by PBBG, which has owned CBS, ABC, NBC and CNN since 2001.
In a statement, the school district said it is pleased the Supreme Court agreed to consider the case.
It is also pleased that the Court recognized that the Michigan legislature, and not the Legislature of Michigan, has the sole authority to determine which public entities receive state funding, the statement said.
In April, the court ruled 5-4 that Michigan could not use public funds to buy the broadcast networks owned by PBAG, in the wake of the school’s lawsuit against them.
That ruling sparked a statewide outcry and sparked a recall election.
The Michigan Board of Education has since issued new regulations limiting the use of public funds for the media.
The U.K. court ruled against the U.A.E. in 2016, saying that the British Broadcasting Corporation could not be compelled to sell its broadcast rights.
The U, however, said it would allow British Broadcasting to sell broadcast rights, as long as it does not directly sell them.