So late last month, Professor Salas-de la Cruz & Paul Boxer, a professor of psychology at Rutgers University-Newark, drafted a one-page “mutual defense compact.” It was a one-for-all, all-for-one statement of solidarity among #schools in the #BigTen athletic & #academic conference—18 large, predominantly #public #universities that together enroll ~600k students each year. “An infringement against one member university,” they wrote, “shall be considered an infringement against all.”

…A representative for the #CPB did not comment on whether it will pursue legal action, but #PBS President Paula Kerger said in a statement that the service is “exploring all options.”

“The president’s blatantly #unlawful #ExecutiveOrder, issued in the middle of the night, threatens our ability to serve the American #public with #educational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years,” Kerger said.

#Court battle likely over #Trump’s #ExecutiveOrder to defund #PublicBroadcasting
Trump issued a late-night EO Thurs calling for an end to govt dollars for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting [#CPB], the taxpayer-backed entity that provides funding to #public #media outlets Trump described as “left wing propaganda.”
But Trump’s ongoing effort to cut federal funding of public media outlets such as #PBS & #NPR already is facing stiff opposition.

#law #censorship #dictatorship
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-05-02/cpb-says-trump-has-no-authority-over-its-funding

For several people who received or saw the document, the broad requests for unredacted information felt like a “witch hunt,”…one that could put the #privacy & #security of numerous individuals & organizations at risk.

Beattie, whom #Trump appointed in Feb to be the acting undersecretary for #public #diplomacy, told #State Dept ofcls that his goal…was a “#TwitterFiles” like release of internal State Dept documents “to rebuild trust with the American public”….

A previously unreported document distributed by snr US #State Dept ofcl #DarrenBeattie reveals a sweeping effort to uncover all communications between the staff of a small govt office focused on #online #disinformation & a lengthy list of #public & #private figures—many of whom are longtime targets of the #FarRight.

#JohnRoberts is almost always in the majority in major cases, & he asked probing questions of both sides during the argument. But he also has consistently voted on the side of #religious rights in the court’s cases that have expanded the role of faith in #public life.

Chief Justice #JohnRoberts, a key vote on the court, voiced skepticism that this case was any different from prior situations where #SCOTUS ruled that #religious entities could not be excluded from receiving #public money.

Roberts questioned the opponents’ argument that #CharterSchools are creations of the #state & therefore that the state may bar religious entities from participating.

Justice #SamuelAlito asked #Oklahoma atty Gregory Garre if #CharterSchools could be more flexible in their #curriculum & give families more alternatives to choose from in #public #education. Garre said all #PublicSchools, including charters, have to conform to the state’s curriculum requirements.

Burris said that Alaska, Virginia, Kansas & Maryland #CharterSchools are controlled by #SchoolDistricts, & in Massachusetts, the state considers the #school & the governing nonprofit that runs it to be govt entities.

She said other states have a mix of #public & #private actors, but in most states, charter schools are generally privately run.

Burris said her group will push states to require that, if #SCOTUS mandates that #religious orgs be let into the programs.

“Certainly one way to do it is create them directly by statute & have them controlled by directors who are themselves public officials,” he said. In some states “they’re part of the government.”

“So a holding here may apply in some states & may not apply in others,” #Gorsuch said.

“Exactly right,” Sauer replied. [wrong]

But in most states, most or all of their #CharterSchools are run by #private entities, acc/to Carol Burris, exec dir of the Network for #Public #Education.

However, #Oklahoma’s AG disagreed & said #CharterSchools are #public entities that must be #secular [agreed].
Chief Justice #JohnRoberts pointed out that the court’s earlier #religious-rights decisions involved discrete #tax or #tuition credits & said this proposal “does strike me as much more comprehensive involvement” by the #government in #religion.
#law #SCOTUS #Constitution #ChurchAndState #NewApostolicReformation #education #indoctrination #FederalistSociety #FarRight #ActivistCourt #USpol

During oral arguments, Justices #ClarenceThomas & #KetanjiBrownJackson both asked if the proposed #Catholic #CharterSchool is a #public or #private entity.

In response, the school board’s atty, James Campbell, said there’s no impermissible involvement of the #government in #religion because the school is established by 2 private Catholic orgs. And there’s no govt control of the #school because it would be operated by a privately selected board.

#law #SCOTUS #ChurchAndState #education

#AmyConeyBarrett, who previously taught at #NotreDame, honorably #recused herself from the case, presumably because of her relationship w/ Garnett & the #law school.

Legal experts have said that one of Chief Justice #JohnRoberts’ most significant legacies is how #SCOTUS’ #conservative majority has steadily pushed #religion into #public life.

The case has the backing of an influential #religious liberty clinic at the University of #NotreDame’s #Law School in Indiana.

Law professor Nicole Garnett pressed the idea that denying govt funding for parochial charter schools would amount to anti-religious discrimination. She based her position on recent #SCOTUS decisions that have expanded the role of #religion in #public life.