Cite as 351 Ark. 31 (2002)
the social compact called the Constitution and in it provided for the existence of a third equal branch of government, the judiciary.
. . . .
. . . To avoid deciding the case because of "legislative discretion," "legislative function," etc., would be a denigration of our own constitutional duty. To allow the General Assembly (or, in point of fact, the Executive) to decide whether its actions are constitutional is literally unthinkable.
. . . .
The judiciary has the ultimate power, and the duty, to apply, interpret, define, and construe all words, phrases, sentences and sections of the Kentucky Constitution as necessitated by the controversies before it. It is solely the function of the judiciary to so do. This duty must be exercised even when such action services as a check on the activities of another branch of government or when the court's view of the constitution is contrary to that of other branches, or even that of the public.
Rose v. Council for Better Education, Inc., 790 S.W.2d 186, 208-10 (Ky. 1989) (emphasis in original). For these reasons, we conclude the matter before us is justiciable.
V. Adequacy
We turn then to a review of the trial court's declaration that the State's school-funding system violates Article 14, § 1. To reiterate, § 1 of the Education Article reads:
Intelligence and virtue being the safeguards of liberty and the bulwark of a free and good government, the State shall ever maintain a general, suitable and efficient system of free public schools and shall adopt all suitable means to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education. The specific intention of this amendment is to authorize that in addition to existing constitutional or statutory provisions the General Assembly and/or public school districts may 4)end public funds for the education of persons over twenty-one (21) years of age and under six (6) years of age, as may be provided by law, and no other interpretation shall be given to it. [As amended by Const. Amend. 53.]
