Oklahoma’s right-wing schools chief, Ryan Walters, received a stern rebuke this week as a Trump-appointed federal judge tossed out a baseless lawsuit filed by Walters to try to silence a religious freedom organization.
Between a brewing pornography scandal and this court loss, Walters’ past few weeks have been rather eventful.
Walters has pushed to convert Oklahoma’s public schools into hubs of right-wing religious indoctrination, through controversies such as his promotion of Bible-infused lesson plans and his attempt to require that schools show students a propaganda video of him praying for Donald Trump and attacking liberals. The court case that was just tossed involved a lawsuit Walters filed in an attempt to stop the Freedom From Religion Foundation — an organization focused on preventing theocratic rule in the U.S. — from sending letters to Oklahoma school districts raising legal concerns about accounts of school officials proselytizing to students, such as with school-sponsored prayer and Bible readings.
The lawsuit baselessly claimed that the group’s advocacy “has interfered with and will continue to interfere with” Oklahoma education officials’ ability to do their work. And U.S. District Court Judge John Heil — a Trump appointee and member of the right-wing Federalist Society — simply wasn’t having it.
In his ruling, the judge called Walters’ claims “nothing more than conjecture,” noting that the schools chief had completely failed to show that his work had been impeded.
Heil wrote:
The Complaint alleges that Defendant ‘has interfered with and will continue to interfere with [Plaintiffs’] statutory authority to govern Oklahoma’s public schools’ and further argues that ‘[d]eclaratory and injunctive relief is both necessary and proper to ensure that [Plaintiffs] can faithfully execute their duties, as well as protect the constitutional rights of Oklahoma’s public school students.’ ... Plaintiffs clarify in their response that they have been injured because Defendant has infringed on their ‘statutory and constitutional authority to administer the public school system.’ ... However, this bare assertion is neither concrete nor particularized. How do Defendant’s letters interfere with Plaintiffs’ authority or ability to administer Oklahoma’s public schools? In what way are Plaintiffs precluded from administering Oklahoma’s public schools because of Defendant’s letters? What have Plaintiffs intended to do, but have been unable to, because of Defendant’s letters? The Complaint does not answer these questions. Plaintiffs have not alleged that they have suffered some actual or threatened injury. Plaintiffs’ generalized statement of injury is nothing more than conjecture.
Heil’s ruling essentially laid waste to Walters’ claim that having to respond to the accusations of unconstitutional application of religion in schools — which falls under his department’s purview — detracts from his ability to carry out official duties.
“Both things cannot be true,” he said. “Plaintiffs cannot be both performing their duties by addressing the letters and impeded from performing their duties by addressing the letters.”
Walters has long sought to portray himself as an archconservative, Christian champion for the erasure of church-state separations in public schools. That his latest effort just earned him the legal equivalent of a swift kick in the rear from a Trump-appointed judge speaks to just how absurd and meritless it was.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
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