Just imagine the outcry if some Muslims did this, or heaven forbid an LGBTQ±affirming congregation.
I’m actually a bit surprised that they allowed this from Catholics.
Journalist Beau of the Fifth Column on this:
Basic takeaway: not even the state attorney general is on board with this, saying it violates the Oklahoma state Constitution. And that they the approval board was warned about that ahead of time.
It’s unlikely to make it through even the state court system.
I’ve always felt the way to address this shit is exactly what the OP suggests: Get every non “acceptable” religion to demand the same.
That’ll end it right quick.
I don’t like it.
That approach would seem to leave room for the following response: well, it sounds like we both agree it’s okay to have taxpayer-funded schools of this type; let’s go on to agree that, hey, whether to so fund this such school or that such school is the sort of thing we routinely put up for a vote, dontchaknow.
But, of course, it shouldn’t be up for a vote.
Arizona went one better last year. All parents can request and receive tax payer funded vouchers to go to charter or religious schools, no oversight involved. It looks like it’s going to cost over 900 million this year alone.
Sounds like a job for the Satanic Temple. Does anyone remember where we put the Baphomet-Signal?
Iowa’s sorry excuse for a governor passed a voucher program, too, and last I heard, 6,000 families had signed up.
I believe it’s a ruse to allow segregated schools, whatever that segregation may be.
p.s. Like I’ve said before and probably will again, people who want to support a private school should find a school they believe in, and donate to its scholarship fund.
The hell it will. The religions they approve of will go to the head of the line, and the others will become victims of bureaucracy, lost paperwork and nitpicking. They haven’t fought fair up until this point so makes you think they’ll start now?
Some people might actually like the idea of, for instance, a Muslim parochial school, so their own kids won’t be going to public school with them.
There’s a federal question, though. The resolution of which may trump any state decision. So even if it doesn’t pass state review, the federal courts, and ultimately SCOTUS, will still be able to get their hands on it and say “This is fine, actually.”
Good luck finding a single Okie school board that will approve funding a Muslim parochial school.
Once again, try to remember that this game is rigged. The only difference between twenty years ago and now is that they don’t try to hide it any more.
This. Totally this.
When universal school vouchers were put up for a vote, the people resoundingly said HELL NO!
Deucey signed it into law as one of his parting gifts to his cronies.
The only way the US Supreme Court gets its hands on it is if it is appealed from the Oklahoma Supreme Court. According to Beau, it seems unlikely it will even make it that far. And, even if it did, it would require the state court to have made a federal argument for the US Supreme court to have any jurisdiction. That seems entirely unnecessary on their part if this violates the Oklahoma state constitution.
If Oklahoma Republicans were all on board with it, I’d be more concerned. But, at this point, it does seem to be more of a rogue school board.
I sure hope this gets decisively slapped-down. It’s like they are always testing the edges to see where a weakness could be exposed and exploited.
I don’t follow BotFC and am not interested in watching a video to get the point. Why does he not think it will get that far?
And, even if it did, it would require the state court to have made a federal argument for the US Supreme court to have any jurisdiction. That seems entirely unnecessary on their part if this violates the Oklahoma state constitution.
Unfortunately, in this instance, that’s not how the Constitution works. Specifically, the post-Reconstruction Constitution. The one with the 14th amendment that makes elements of the Bill of Rights, consisting of fundamental individual rights, operative gain at the states as well as the federal government. If Oklahoma’s state law or Supreme Court operates contrary to the first amendment, then the Supreme Court can deliver a smackdown on appeal.
Now… in another era, with another Supreme Court, the outcome would be a fairly straight forward “No, of course taxpayer money can’t be used to support a religious school. That would violate the Establishment Clause.” It would be a very short opinion with a rousing (but ultimately pointless, bordering on nutty) dissent by one or two of the most conservative justices.
But lately? With this Supreme Court? I could very easily see them saying “No, of course you can’t deny funds to a school established pursuant to a law of general applicability purely on the basis that the school, in addition to its educational programming which we are SURE will be much better than your crappy mainstream public schools, advances certain religious views. That would be a law respecting the establishment of religion, and so a gross violation of the rights of all Oklahomans, and particularly those who want to have the freedom to bring their children up as moral individuals according to their own beliefs, and not the state’s. Why do you hate freedom? Why do you hate America?”
Nutty is what we can expect with this current Supreme Court.
I don’t believe that’s what BigT was saying. I believe the suggestion was that, if the Oklahoma Supreme Court concluded (as a matter of state law) that the funding violated the Oklahoma Constitution (or some other provision of state law)**, then it would not be reviewable by a federal court. Which if, of course, correct.
** I have no idea if it would violate state law. Section I-3 of the Oklahoma Constitution provides that public schools must be “free from sectarian control.” I don’t know how far that would reach in terms of religious education, but this school is run by the Archdiocese, which seems like it might be reasonably viewed as “sectarian control.”
I’d love to see the bumper stickers, “My son is an honor student at Hail Satan Jr-Sr High”
Well, the sports team names would blow away the opposition. What side do you back in a football game between the Hail Satan High Hellhounds and the St. Dominic’s Disciples? A baseball game between the Academy of Lucifer Cacodemons and the St.Francis Foxcubs?
That would be true. Unless that provision of the Oklahoma Constitution, as interpreted by the State Supreme Court, itself violates the US Constitution’s First Amendment. Like, the OK Supreme Court can say “According to the state Constitution, no state funds can ever go to support a religious school.” And then the US Supreme Court can say “Cool story, bro, but we decided the Establishment Clause means you can’t discriminate on the basis of religion when it comes to provisioning state funds. If they would be eligible for state funds but-for their religious affiliation, then any refusal on that basis is in violation of the First Amendment.”
And just so we’re clear, this is not a matter of “The Constitution says X and could only ever be reasonably interpreted to say X” and it’s certainly not “X is the way it should be.” It’s just my very pessimistic (but by no means unsupported by recent events) expectation for how the US Supreme Court could resolve this, even if by some chance the state Supreme Court would say otherwise.
The US Constitution, I am afraid, has certain elements of scripture to it: it can say whatever you (or rather, the right judge) want it to say if you try hard enough.