Appeals court backs Louisiana voucher program for schools

Politico:

The Justice Department suffered a setback Tuesday when the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in effect ruled that the feds don't have the authority to regulate Louisiana's school voucher program.

In a 2-1 decision written by Judge Edith Jones, the appeals court says a district court had no jurisdiction to let DOJ collect data and monitor the voucher program.

The fight between federal officials and Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal started in 2013 when then-Attorney General Eric Holder tried to halt the program out of concern that it was upsetting the racial balance of some public school districts. The case is based on a decades-old decision that said the state couldn't give money to private schools that segregate students.

Holder later abandoned that effort, instead asking for data on the racial background of students participating in the program each year so federal officials could monitor the program's effect on school segregation. DOJ could then use that information to challenge some voucher awards.
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The program was specifically aimed at helping kids in poor schools get a better education.  The DOJ had no business trying to prevent the state from helping those kids.