23 August 2017

Racial Animus Here In Arizona Gets Tossed

Arizona Unconstitutionally Banned Mexican-American Studies Classes, Judge Rules
The ruling by a U.S. District Court found that the Republican-controlled state legislature violated the First and 14th Amendments in a 2010 law.
 
 
 PHOENIX ― A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the state of Arizona violated students’ rights by banning a Mexican-American studies program from Tucson public schools.
The ruling issued by U.S. District Judge A. Wallace Tashima found that a law passed by Arizona’s Republican-dominated state legislature in 2010 violated both the First and 14th Amendments. It marks a major victory for educators and activists who viewed the ethnic studies law as a flatly discriminatory effort by Arizona Republicans to keep Hispanic students from learning about their history or studying writers of color that are often ignored in public schools. . .
A series of anonymously posted and racially-charged blog comments from Huppenthal played a role in cementing Tashima’s opinion that the Republican officials acted with “racial animus” ― the legal term for an intent to racially discriminate. Huppenthal called for the elimination of Spanish from public life, with the exception of a limited number of words on Mexican restaurant menus, and compared Mexican-American studies teachers to the Ku Klux Klan. 
Huppenthal’s blog comments provide the most important and direct evidence that racial animus infected the decision to enact A.R.S. § 15-112,”
Tashima’s ruling reads, referring to the ethnic studies statute. “Several of his blog comments convey animus toward Mexican-Americans generally.”
A hearing will follow within the next three weeks to determine how the ruling will be enforced.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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