SACRAMENTO (KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO) — The fight over “Furlough Fridays” has been handed over to the State Supreme Court. Union and government lawyers debated Wednesday whether Governor Schwarzenegger illegally ordered state workers to take the day off without pay.

The seven-member court will decide whether the governor has the authority to furlough more than 200,000 state workers to save money. The three-day-a-week furloughs translate into a pay cut of about 14 percent.

Bruce Blanning, executive director of the group Professional Engineers in California, argues the governor is not allowed to impose his will on the people.

However, Schwarzenegger spokesman Jeff Macedo counters the budget meltdown is an emergency and the governor is only doing what was necessary for the state. A decision is expected sometime in the next three months.