Notices tagged with oklahoma

There might not be anything on the ballot that captures headlines in the way “Wisconsin vs. Musk” did in April, but there are still consequential elections taking place in the U.S. @taniel and Alex Burness of @bolts break down who can vote for what this month. It’s almost all local — mayoral races, school boards and ballot measures — and local elections matter.

https://boltsmag.org/whats-on-the-ballot/guide-to-elections-in-may-2025/

#UnitedStates #Elections #LocalNews #LocalPolitics #Texas #Nebraska #Massachusetts #Oklahoma #Pennsylvania #NewYork #Oregon #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

Joyce Vance points to the words of the woman whose home in Oklahoma was invaded by federal agents said after the agents barged into the home she shared with her three daughters, terrorizing them, forcing them to stand in the rain in the underwear, taking their property — and then it turned out, these were not even the people these agents were seeking:

“Can you just reprogram yourself and see us as humans, as women?"

#Trump #ICE #FBI #immigrants #Oklahoma
/1

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/not-ok-in-oklahoma

The watchdog group Accountable.us & Rep Hank Johson (D-GA) issued a letter calling for #ClarenceThomas’s #recusal from the #Oklahoma case because of his ties to Nicole Garnett, the #NotreDame #law prof, who helped shepherd it.

But unlike #AmyConeyBarrett, Thomas did not #recuse.

Garnett was a clerk for Thomas in the late 1990s & has maintained a close relationship w/ him, which Accountable & Johnson say call into question his objectivity in the case.

#law #SCOTUS #ethics

The #FreeExercise clause prohibits the
govt from interfering wi/the right of individuals to practice #religion, while the establishment clause prevents the govt from establishing an official religion or favoring faith over nonbelief.

“This #Oklahoma case is the potential culmination of the Roberts court effort to cast the free-exercise clause in the starring role in our constitutional order, & offer the establishment clause only a cameo,”Driver said.

#law #SCOTUS #Constitution #ActivistCourt

#Religious leaders, politicians & #PublicPolicy experts predict an explosion of new, #government-funded #religious #schools if #SCOTUS sides w/ #Catholic church ofcls in #Oklahoma in the case. Becoming a charter school would mean a steady stream of #funding & no need to charge #tuition.

#law #Constitution #ChurchAndState #judiciary #NAR #NewApostolicReformation #education #indoctrination #FederalistSociety #FarRight #PartisanCourt #ActivistCourt #USpol

However, #Oklahoma’s AG disagreed & said #CharterSchools are #public entities that must be #secular [agreed].
Chief Justice #JohnRoberts pointed out that the court’s earlier #religious-rights decisions involved discrete #tax or #tuition credits & said this proposal “does strike me as much more comprehensive involvement” by the #government in #religion.
#law #SCOTUS #Constitution #ChurchAndState #NewApostolicReformation #education #indoctrination #FederalistSociety #FarRight #ActivistCourt #USpol

Under questioning from Justice #ElenaKagan, the attorney for the #Oklahoma #CharterSchool board emphasized that St. Isidore’s is not seeking to exclude students based on their #religion. But what if another school wanted to do that? she asked.

Atty James Campbell replied that this would require a different analysis.

“The state’s interest in that case would be very different—the interest in ensuring that #schools open to all,” he said.

#law #SCOTUS #Constitution #ChurchAndState #education

Justice #SamuelAlito grilled atty James Campbell on a claim brought by opponents of St. Isidore: that a ruling for the #Catholic #school could force #students into #religious institutions, because the school would be their “only free public option.”

Campbell said #Oklahoma #law forbids an entire #SchoolDistrict from converting to #CharterSchools. If such a situation arose, families could file a separate challenge.

#law #SCOTUS #Constitution #ChurchAndState #NewApostolicReformation #education

Justice Brett #Kavanaugh seemed to try to help the #school’s atty by getting him to respond to concerns raised by Justice #Sotomayor. “You’re not saying the state can favor one #religion over another?” Kavanaugh asked.

In response, atty James Campbell assured #SCOTUS that no #student in #Oklahoma is forced to attend a #CharterSchool. “There are plenty of other options,” he said.

#law #Constitution #ChurchAndState #NewApostolicReformation #education #FederalistSociety #ActivistCourt

James Campbell, atty for the state charter board, replied that #Oklahoma state is simply signing a contract with a private entity with various contractual requirements.

“The state is not running these #schools,” he said. “There are dozens of other requirements that #CharterSchools are not subject to.”

#law #SCOTUS #Constitution #ChurchAndState #NewApostolicReformation #education #FederalistSociety #ActivistCourt

Justice #ElenaKagan signaled skepticism of the proposed #Catholic #school, suggesting #CharterSchools are much like traditional #PublicSchools: They accept all applicants, they’re free, the state has a say in the #curriculum, the schools have to comply w/state #standards, & they can be closed by the state.
“When I look at #Oklahoma & its charter school program, these #schools look like regular public schools. These charter schools are, in every respect, equivalent to regular public schools”
#law

A skeptical Justice #KetanjiBrownJackson asked whether #religious groups should be entitled to start #CharterSchools even though #Oklahoma charter #law seeks to establish only #secular #schools.

“As I see it, [St. Isidore] is not being denied a benefit that everyone else gets,” Jackson said. “It’s being denied a benefit that no one else gets, which is the ability to establish a religious #PublicSchool.”

👏👏
#law #SCOTUS #Constitution #ChurchAndState #NewApostolicReformation #education

Garre, representing #Oklahoma AG Gentner Drummond (R), told the justices that #CharterSchools have all the hallmarks of #PublicSchools in that they are free, open to all, funded by #taxpayers & #nonsectarian. The OK #Constitution, he said, prohibits teaching #religion as #truth in public schools.

He warned that a ruling in favor of the #Catholic school would “render unconstitutional the federal charter school program” that he said has been a success story in public #education.

#law #SCOTUS

The attorney representing #Oklahoma’s top #law enforcement officer told #SCOTUS that backing the #Catholic #CharterSchool would upend the traditional definition of #PublicSchools.

“It would result in the astounding rule that states not only may, but must fund & create public #religious #schools,” said attorney Gregory Garre, calling such a notion “an astounding reversal from this court’s time-honored precedents.”

#law #Constitution #ChurchAndState #NewApostolicReformation #education

Justice #ClarenceThomas pressed atty Gregory Garre on #Oklahoma’s position on the pivotal question at hand: that St. Isidore is a #PublicSchool, not a #private institution participating in a public program. Garre referenced the OK Supreme Court’s ruling that agreed.

“This court has a lot of authority, but I don’t think it has the authority to second guess [that],” Garre said.

#law #SCOTUS #Constitution #ChurchAndState #NewApostolicReformation #education #FederalistSociety #ActivistCourt

Conservative Justices ask how a #religious #CharterSchool differs from a food bank.

At least 3 conservative #SCOTUS members—Chief Justice #JohnRoberts, Justice Brett #Kavanaugh & Justice Neil #Gorsuch —suggested to the lawyer for #Oklahoma’s AG that his position was inconsistent with a key past ruling.

In that case, known as Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, the court said Philadelphia had violated the #Constitution by not extending a foster-care services contract to #Catholic Social Services.

Justice #SamuelAlito asked #Oklahoma atty Gregory Garre if #CharterSchools could be more flexible in their #curriculum & give families more alternatives to choose from in #public #education. Garre said all #PublicSchools, including charters, have to conform to the state’s curriculum requirements.

#law #SCOTUS #Constitution #ChurchAndState #NewApostolicReformation #education #FederalistSociety #ActivistCourt

#SCOTUS appears open to allowing the creation of the nation’s FIRST #public #religious charter #school in #Oklahoma, an unprecedented move that would reshape American #education & redraw the boundary between #ChurchAndState.

A ruling for St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic School would allow #taxpayer #money to directly flow to a faith-based school & give govt #sponsorship to a #curriculum that has students to adhere to #Catholic beliefs & #religious #mission.

#law #NewApostolicReformation

ICE raids wrong Oklahoma home, seizes life savings and leaves family 'traumatized for life'

#FamilyTraumatized #Oklahoma #WrongHome #ImmigrationCooperation #ImmigrationEnforcement

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/oklahoma-ice-raid-wrong-person-b2741808.html

The Supreme Court Will Decide If Taxpayers Have To Fund Religious Schools

#CharterSchools #Oklahoma #FirstAmendment #EducationPolicy #SchoolFunding

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/supreme-court-taxpayer-religious-schools_n_680fcf2fe4b0a4f4db7f035d