The California Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's request that it take over furlough litigation now in two appellate courts and freeze more than a dozen cases in trial courts around the state.
The decision ends the possibility for a relatively quick resolution to about two dozen furlough lawsuits in courts around the state.
The court posted a one-sentence decision on its website: "The application to transfer and consolidate appeals now pending in the Court of Appeal to this court is denied." Justice Joyce Kennard dissented.
The state has spent $736,283.50 on private attorneys to represent Schwarzenegger in 30 lawsuits launched since the governor issued his controversial furlough order in December 2008. Twenty-five remain active.
The governor's attorneys on March 2 asked the state's high court to consolidate and review seven cases related to executive furlough authority, including three Alameda Superior Court decisions that the administration lost last year. Schwarzenegger has taken those cases to San Francisco's 1st District Court of Appeal.
The other four cases Schwarzenegger had hoped to consolidate are trial court decisions he had won that are now with the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento.
The administration had argued that the Supreme Court should take over the cases because lower courts have issued conflicting opinions.
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