At both the federal and state levels, judges are grabbing powers constitutionally reserved for legislative bodies.  The most notorious example is Federal District Judge Russell Clark, who seized control of the Kansas City School District and mandated from the bench that nearly $2 billion be spent on new facilities and programs, all in an effort to desegregate the schools and bring test scores up to the national norm.  The effort was a near total failure, but even if it had been successful, it was an obvious example of a judge appropriating funds, something reserved to the legislative representatives of the people. In Kansas, next door to K.C., legislators are pushing back against state judges seeking to compel more school spending.  John Hanna of the AP reports:  Republican lawmakers in Kansas, weary of conflicts with a judiciary that has been pushing for more school spending, are beginning to act on a measure to expand the legal grounds for impeaching...(Read Full Post)