An important event to watch this week will be taking place in a Leon County, Florida court on Thursday, when Judge Terry Lewis hears arguments regarding the constitutionality of a proposed "religious freedom" amendment scheduled for the November 2012 ballot. The provision would remove 100+ years of church-state safeguards in the state, and set in motion funding systems that could allow millions of taxpayer dollars to flow to religious institutions in the form of school vouchers and faith-based funding.
The measure is called a "religious freedom" amendment. That title and the description to follow is the subject of a legal challenge Judge Lewis will begin to sort out in the hearing. Plaintiffs maintain the language on the ballot is misleading as to the true content of the amendment. The ACLU of Florida's Howard Simon, explains:
The issue before the court is whether the Legislature will be permitted to "hide the ball" and trick the people into creating a massive funding entitlement for religious entities or whether the Legislature will be required to at least be honest about its intentions instead of disguising them as "religious freedom."
Stay tuned.
