Stimulus battle could end in court today

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The governor, educators and lawyers are waiting for Supreme Court decision on whether Gov. Mark Sanford can be forced to request $700 million in federal stimulus cash.
   
Chief Justice Jean Toal said the decision could come as early as Thursday.
   
The court heard arguments in a case brought by a couple of students and one brought by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators Wednesday.
   
Toal said that issues seemed to boil down to a policy debate between the Republican governor and the GOP-dominated Legislature on how money should be spent. Toal said Sanford lost that fight when he couldn’t get enough votes to sustain his veto of a budget bill requirement that he seek the money for schools.