Federal Court Reigns In 'Blaine Amendments'

  Rep. Mike Ritze led a group of private sponsors to present a gift to the Oklahoma Capitol. His 'Ten Commandments' monument was said to honor the history of government lawmaking, by recognizing historic systems of establishing civil order. He chose the legacy of Moses as a first candidate. The Legislature concurred, and we had a political drama ever since.
  Two years ago, the Oklahoma Supreme Court determined that our own state constitution has clauses which forbid this monument on state held land, because it evokes a religious worldview. The federal constitution supports these expressions so long as there is a plurality of presentations where not one sectarian view is favored.
  This week, Dr. Ritze released a statement..

​OKLAHOMA CITY – Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of a Missouri church and Christian school that applied for a public grant program that recycled shredded tires to use as padding on outdoor playgrounds.
The U.S. Supreme Court overruled a decision by the Missouri State Supreme Court that used the Missouri Constitution’s Blaine Amendment to prohibit the school from participating in the program. The high court ruled that the school’s ability to participate in the program was protected by the First Amendment, and that they couldn’t be omitted from the program based on their religion.

---

​Mike Ritze released the following statement upon the court’s ruling.
“When used incorrectly, the Blaine Amendment is a dangerous device that threatens the oldest founding principle of our country – freedom of religion. Oklahomans have had a similar experience with the Blaine Amendment when the Oklahoma Supreme Court used its hostile language to rule we could no longer display the Ten Commandments on state property. I applaud the U.S. Supreme Court and implore them to take similar action in our case and reverse this government overreach that threatens our state’s freedom of religion. ”

​
Rep. Mike Ritze represents District 80 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which represents part s of Tulsa and Wagoner Counties. He serves as chair of the House Public Health Committee.