|
July
2002
SUPREME
COURT RULING LIKELY TO CHANGE JUDICIAL ELECTIONS
The way Texas has elected judges--prohibiting candidates
from stating their views on any legal question that could
come before their bench--probably amounts to an unconstitutional
gag order, ruled the Supreme Court on June 27. In a 5-4
decision involving a Minnesota case, the court addressed
almost 40 states where judges are elected. Such a rule "places
most subjects of interest to the voters off limits,"
wrote Justice Antonin Scalia for the court majority. "We
have never allowed the government to prohibit candidates
from communicating relevant information to voters during
an election." The four justices opposing the ruling,
said the decision will open campaigns to electioneering
and will compromise the sanctity of the judiciary, turning
the races into heated political contests.
Texas Supreme Court Justice Tom
Phillips, a Republican, who has favored moving from election
to judicial appointment, said the Supreme Court ruling disappointed
him. But he underscored that campaigns for judicial office
need not be conducted in the same tenor as those for legislative
office.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, 6/28/02
HUMAN
RIGHTS CAMPAIGN ENDORSES RON KIRK
The Human Rights Campaign, the largest homosexual political
organization in the nation, endorsed Democratic candidate
Ron Kirk in his race for the Texas U.S. Senate seat. The
HRC endorses candidates based on the candidates' records
of supporting HRC issues. They are backing Kirk because
the ex-mayor of Dallas has a history of standing up for
homosexuals in the Dallas area. He supports the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (which makes sexual orientation equal
to race, and religion), hate crime laws and HIV-AIDS funding.
His opponent, John Cornyn, is not
endorsed by the HRC because he "was not supportive
of a hate crimes measure in TexasÉ. While on the Texas Supreme
Court, Cornyn voted to uphold the state's sodomy law and
did not support an effort for domestic partnership registry
for same-sex couples."
The HRC will endorse 200 candidates, spend $1 million and
send staff to assist in key campaigns. Kirk will receive
all three to aid his campaign.
Source: Free Market Foundation, Weekly Issues Alert,
6/25/02
CORNYN
AND ABBOTT ADJUST ABORTION STANCE
Despite the fact that the Republican Party Platform upholds
"an unborn child's fundamental right to life which
cannot be infringed," both John Cornyn, Republican
candidate for U.S. Senate, and Judge Greg Abbott, Republican
candidate for Texas Attorney General, recently rescinded
their opposition to abortion under all circumstances. Cornyn
now justifies abortion in cases of rape, incest and to save
the life of the mother, while Abbott says consideration
should be given to protect a woman's life. Their Democrat
opponents favor abortion.
A spokesman for Mr. Cornyn said
that while he (Cornyn) "thinks Roe vs. Wade was wrongly
decided," he would not favor a constitutional amendment
to ban abortion or overturn Roe v. Wade. Mr. Abbott
stated that regardless of his views on abortion, he would
as AG mount a defense of abortion rights if they were state
law. "I will protect and defend Texas law regardless
of personal conviction," he said.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, 1/22/02 & 6/28/02
TX
LIBRARY SUED FOR REFUSING ROOM FOR RELIGIOUS MEETING
A federal lawsuit was filed June 26 by the Liberty Counsel
against the Mitchell County Public Library, claiming that
the library violated the First Amendment right to free speech
when it denied an application to use the library community
meeting room for a religious meeting. The library policy
states that the library "welcomes the use of its meeting
room for socially useful and cultural activitiesÉ."
However, the policy also states that the "room is not
available for religious purposes."
Liberty Counsel has won similar lawsuits in Wisconsin, Florida
and South Carolina. In each case the library's policy was
declared "unconstitutional." The American Library
Association magazine last year wrote an article about Liberty
Counsel's cases, and warned public libraries to repeal their
unconstitutional policies that discriminate against religion.
Matt Staver, president of Liberty Counsel, said, "Libraries
must respect the First Amendment rights of those seeking
to use the library for religious purposes."
Source: Liberty Counsel News Release, 6/26/02
TEXTBOOK
HEARINGS ON JULY 17
The State Board of Education will have its first of three
hearings on social studies books July 17. Citizens who have
reviewed the books may testify. In the last adoption (science
books), Texas Citizens for a Sound Economy and the Texas
Public Policy Foundation encouraged citizens to testify
and try to prevent errors and bias from appearing in environmental
science books. This adoption could be different.
Peggy Veneable, director of TCSE,
said that although the group's members do have some concerns
about some books, there are also social studies books that
the group's members recommend. The Texas Freedom Network,
a "mainstream voice to counter the religious right,"
is already working on opposing conservative efforts to keep
errors and bias out of textbooks. No word on whether the
Network will seek the expunction of the Pledge of Allegiance
from social studies books.
Source: Lone Star Report, 6/28/02
Editor's Note:
Click
on "Latest Alert" for Eagle Becky Armstrong's
column on the textbook selection process. We all owe Becky
and her volunteer-readers a debt of gratitude for spending
hours reviewing the textbooks and preparing testimony on
behalf of Texas children.
TEXAS
TEACHER NAMED PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR
Dr. Samuel Ayers, a Lubbock educator, was recently selected
by Christian Educators International Association (CEIA)
as their Educator of the Year. Each Year, CEIA honors a
public school teacher with this prestigious award for excellence,
involvement in community and church and high recommendation
by his/her principal, pastor and co-workers in the field
of education. CEIA, based in Pasadena, CA, was founded in
1953 to encourage, equip and empower Christians serving
in public education.
Source: AFA Journal, July 2002
Please
contact us if you would like to request information, or
place a friend on our e-mail list.
|
|
