By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Daily Star
Attorney General Mark Brnovich has no legal right to challenge the tuition set for the state’s three universities — or even the policies used to come up with those numbers, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Connie Contes decided today.
In a brief ruling, the judge accepted arguments by attorneys for the Arizona Board of Regents that Brnovich can file lawsuits only when he has specific legislative authority or permission of the governor. In this case, Contes concluded, he had neither.
More to the point, he is unlikely to get the go-ahead from Gov. Doug Ducy to challenge the tuition hikes. While Ducey won office in 2014 at least in part on blaming Democrat Fred DuVal for increasing the cost of going to state-run universities, the governor has since told Capitol Media Services he believes “our universities and accessible and affordable.”
