Don Byrd, Author at BJC

On a 4-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court leaves ban on religious charter schools in Oklahoma in place

What was expected to be a major Supreme Court decision thankfully fizzled in a 1-page, unsigned opinion this week that ended a recent push for a religious charter school.

Call to action: Federal voucher scheme, other troubling provisions in budget bill worry faith leaders ahead of vote

Now is the time for members of Congress to hear from their constituents on a number of concerning provisions in the budget reconciliation bill being hotly debated in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Apache Stronghold wins late reprieve as federal court halts transfer of sacred Oak Flat land to mining company pending Supreme Court review

The long-running legal dispute over the land known as Chí’chil Biłdagoteel — loosely translated in English as “Oak Flat” — has taken another turn. A federal court halted a planned transfer of the land, which was scheduled to take place as soon as June 16 of this year.

BJC, other faith leaders and religious organizations tell Congress to reject a proposed school voucher tax scheme

Hundreds of faith leaders and dozens of faith organizations — including BJC — are raising their collective voices this week against dangerous new legislation that would create a national school voucher system. Their urgent message? Keep the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) out of the budget.

SCOTUS hears arguments in pivotal religious liberty case involving the unprecedented creation of religious charter schools

Oklahoma v. Drummond is a critical case, testing whether longheld Establishment Clause principles in the public school context will endure under the current Supreme Court’s trend away from protecting the institutional separation of church and state.