OK: Walters Taking High Court Decision As Well As Could Be Expected

Oklahoma's christianist education dudebro-in-chief Ryan Walter is not happy with the Oklahoma State Supreme Court ruling that the proposed Catholic charter school--well, here's a key part of the decision"

The State’s establishment of a religious charter school violates Oklahoma statutes Oklahoma Constitution, and the Establishment Clause. St. Isidore cannot justify existence by invoking Free Exercise rights as religious entity. St. Isidore came into existence through its charter with the State and will function as a component of the state’s public school system. The case turns on the State’s contracted-for religious teachings and activities through a new public charter school, not the State’s exclusion of a religious entity.

Walters took to twitter his feelings about the decision yesterday:

It’s my firm belief that once again, the Oklahoma Supreme Court got it wrong. The words ‘separation of church and state’ do not appear in our Constitution, and it is outrageous that the Oklahoma Supreme Court misunderstood key cases involving the First Amendment and sanctioned discrimination against Christians based solely on their faith. Oklahomans have demanded school choice not religious targeting. 

I agree with the dissent because nothing about the State of Oklahoma contracting for educational services for students in the form of a charter school violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and the enrollment demand at St. Isidore proves that Oklahoma parents want more choices for their kids’ educations – not fewer. 

This ruling cannot and must not stand. There will be additional legal action in support of those parents and the millions of Oklahomans who believe deeply in religious liberty, and I will never stop fighting for Oklahomans’ constitutional, God-given right to express their religious belief.

The best grown up response to Walters came from Quinn Yeargain, a state constitutional law scholar at Widener University. He replied:

  

The sassiest trolling response came, as one might expect, from The Satanic Temple

"Cold day in Hell," Walters tweeted back.

This just happens over and over and over again, and is no more surprising than the Hindu leader who wants the Bhagavad Gita posted in Louisiana classrooms right up there with the Ten Commandments. I'll keep saying it:

Attempts to inject Christianity into the public school classroom can only end one of three ways--

1) All religions must be allowed to get their pitch into public school classrooms

2) The state will start requiring religions to receive official government recognition in order to be considered legitimate

3) The courts will rightly decide that no religions belong in public school classrooms

1 and 2 almost certainly go together. The correct choice is 3, a religion-neutral public school system that keeps religions from messing with schools and government from regulating religion. That is, in fact, the very best way to protect "Oklahomans’ constitutional, God-given right to express their religious belief."