A Missouri referendum that would add religious liberty language to the state's constitution is the subject of a new lawsuit filed by the ACLU. Specifically, the challenge is aimed at the amendment description as it is slated to appear on the ballot. From the ACLU press release:
The description of the amendment on the ballot states that the amendment will ensure that the right of Missouri citizens to express their religious beliefs shall not be infringed, that school children have the right to pray and acknowledge God voluntarily in their schools and that all public schools will be required to display the Bill of Rights. It does not mention provisions in the amendment’s text that would “remove any state constitutional protection of religious expression or liberty for prisoners in state or local custody” and require that “no student shall be compelled to perform or participate in academic assignments or educational presentations that violate his or her religious beliefs.”
I say that it's "religious liberty language" being added, not actual religious liberty protections, because most every freedom listed in the text of the proposed amendment (pdf) is already guaranteed by law.
Perhaps the one area that might have provided debate – the religious freedom of students to refuse participation in school assignments – is one that goes unmentioned in the summary voters would see on the ballot. That portion of the amendment reads:
that no student shall be compelled to perform or participate in academic assignments or educational presentations that violate his or her religious beliefs;
The suit also challenges the summary's failure to mention the amendment's troubling statement providing that no expansion of religious rights for prisoners should be read into the list of rights.
