Nevada’s highest court is poised to weigh arguments on Tuesday regarding a contentious ballot question aimed at repealing $380 million in public funding earmarked for a new baseball stadium in Las Vegas.
Scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in Las Vegas, the Nevada Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Schools Over Stadiums v. Thompson. Each side will have an initial two minutes for uninterrupted argument, followed by 15 minutes each for their presentations, as outlined by the court’s order.
At the heart of the matter is a political action committee called Schools Over Stadiums, which was established by the Nevada State Education Association. The PAC lodged an appeal with the court after a Carson City judge invalidated their ballot question seeking public input on the proposed funding for a new stadium intended for the Oakland Athletics on the Strip.
The appeal follows a ruling by Judge James Russell in November, who rejected the referendum on the grounds of an alleged flaw in the petition’s language.
Should Schools Over Stadiums prevail in its appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court, the PAC must gather over 102,000 signatures by June 26 to qualify the ballot question for the 2024 election.
Additionally, Schools Over Stadiums has launched a separate legal challenge contesting the constitutionality of SB 1, the legislation authorizing public financing for the stadium.
Despite these legal hurdles, concerns persist regarding the proposed Las Vegas stadium. Significant issues, such as the absence of a finalized lease agreement and uncertainty surrounding A’s owner John Fisher’s financing for his share of the stadium funding, remain unresolved.
Against this backdrop, the Oakland Athletics recently announced plans to relocate to Sacramento for the 2025-27 seasons, with an option for 2028.
Photo credit – Wikipedia / Carson City, NV
