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Are charter schools "state actors"?

The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board has authorized an explicitly Roman Catholic virtual charter school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, to begin operation in the 2024-2025 school year. Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a pretend-conservative and Biden for President donor who won the GOP nomination with the help...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 5, 2024 9:09 PM

Oklahoma SQ 790: The First Amendment, not Oklahoma's special version

Oklahoma State Question 790 is a legislative referendum which would remove a discriminatory and inconsistently applied provision in the Constitution of Oklahoma that deals with the relationship of religion and government. Its passage would allow the People of Oklahoma through our elected representatives to weigh and balance a variety of...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 30, 2016 11:19 PM

LWVTulsa Hot Topic Lunch on SQ 790

The League of Women Voters of Tulsa are holding a "Hot Topic Lunch" at the newly remodeled Central Library next Tuesday, October 11, 2016, to discuss SQ 790. I will be arguing in favor of the state question, which repeals Article II, Section 5, the discriminatory "Blaine Amendment" language in...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 7, 2016 6:34 PM

Oklahoma adopts strong anti-SLAPP law

There's one more reason for Oklahomans to celebrate April 22. Last Tuesday, on the 125th anniversary of the Oklahoma 1889 Land Run, Gov. Mary Fallin signed HB 2366, the Oklahoma Citizens Participation Act, giving Oklahomans valuable protection in the exercise of their First Amendment rights. From the bill: The purpose...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 27, 2014 9:57 PM

Protect Your Voice

The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity has launched a petition drive to ensure that citizen journalists and bloggers enjoy the same legal protections that cover traditional news media. The initiative is called "Protect Your Voice." It makes sense for a group interested in public integrity to get involved...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 16, 2012 9:49 PM