Kristi Conatzer said the governor has created an unneeded public debate over keeping children safe based on comments she made opposing an initiative petition. Conatzer’s daughter, Emily, was one of the seven children who died at Plaza Towers Elementary School. “There shouldn’t be an argument over this,” she said. “We lost something on May 20 […]
lawsuit
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Big hurt
Photo by Mark Hancock The husband and father (pictured) also never anticipated he’d be at the center of a constitutional fight over free speech and a potentially unconstitutional city ordinance. Martin, considered a big man by any standard at 6 feet 2 inches tall and 485 pounds, arranged for a security team to work a […]
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Ministry leader, sex offender file lawsuit against city
David Nichols, president of Hand Up Ministries, and convicted sex offender Bernard Richard Lagrow have requested a judge consider a temporary restraining order forbidding law enforcement personnel from arresting or charging suspects in these types of cases. Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel and […]
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Just how sacred is it?
Oklahoma Baptist University, Mid-America Christian University, Southern Nazarene University and Oklahoma Wesleyan University are suing the federal government. The argument is, of course, that the legislation forces these universities to shirk a belief — claimed to be biblical — that a human life begins at conception and is, therefore, immoral. The problem is, some biblical […]
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Still fighting
David Green The crafts retailer has until Oct. 21 to file a response to a 251-page appeal filed by U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli and other government attorneys who want the high court to hear more about why the chain should or should not include contraceptives in its required healthcare coverage to employees. Hobby […]
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MAPS threat lingers
Kenneth Jordan Since Slane questioned the validity of the MAPS 3 election two weeks ago, OKC’s lead municipal counselor, Kenneth Jordan, delivered a letter Sept. 3 citing a 2011 state Supreme Court case, Thomas vs. Henry, that he claims validates the ballot language and election results. In the letter to Oklahoma Gazette, Jordan said the […]
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City officials respond to MAPS 3 legal challenge
City officials sent a letter Tuesday to private attorney David Slane outlining the reasons his concerns are misplaced. Slane alleged the December 2009 MAPS 3 vote was unconstitutional because it violated the state’s single-subject rule since eight different projects would be financed with the sales tax extension. The single-subject rule came into focus for Slane […]
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Driven to paganism?
Credit: Brad Gregg Keith Cressman, pastor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Bethany, learned the religious liberty suit will return to U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton’s courtroom after state Attorney General Scott Pruitt elected not to appeal a higher court’s decision. In June, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Heaton made […]
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Legal challenge threatened over MAPS 3
Oklahoma City attorney David Slane contended that passage of the 2009 MAPS 3 package was unconstitutional based on a state law that restricts voters from approving multiple projects with a single-ballot question. Slane, known for taking often-unpopular stances on controversial issues, claims the ballot language violated the state’s so-called “single subject” law since it provided […]
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Hard rain’s a-gonna fall
Credit: Brad Gregg The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals cleared the way last week for Cressman to proceed with a lawsuit concerning Oklahoma’s pesky state plates. In 2011, he filed suit against state officials because he does not want to be forced to advertise “images, messages and practices that he cannot endorse or accept.” […]