Idaho Governor CL “Butch” Otter [official website], issued his first veto of 2016 on Tuesday, striking legislation [SB1342] that provided for the use of the Christian Bible in public school. The legislation explicitly allowed the Bible to be referenced in various subjects including literature, biology, geography, comparative government and history. The bill would not require students to use the religious text, and stated that it did not mean to “permit religious or doctrinal instruction.” Otter explained his veto [AP report] saying the legislation was in violation of the Idaho state constitution [text].

The boundaries of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause [JURIST backgrounder] remain controversial in the US. In 2014 Virginia’s governor vetoed a bill [JURIST report] that would have codified the rights of students to pray voluntarily in school and at school events. Also that year the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled [JURIST report] that the Pledge of Allegiance’s words “under God” do not discriminate against non-religious people since the language is patriotic and not religious. Also in 2014 the US Supreme Court ruled that the practice of opening town meetings with a prayer [JURIST report] does not violate the Establishment Clause