An Examination of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe's Rationale
for Vetoing SB 236   On April 27, 2014 Virginia Governor Terry
McAuliffe vetoed SB 236, a bill which, as McAuliffe describes in
his veto message, "proposes to codify the right of students in
public schools to pray, engage in religious activities or other
forms of expression and to organize prayer groups, gatherings
and religious clubs to the same extent that students may engage
in nonreligious activities or expression and organize other
activities and groups." McAuliffe makes two arguments in support
of his decision to veto the bill:    1. The provisions in the
bill pertaining to religious student clubs having equal
privileges to secular student clubs is unnecessary because the
federal Equal Access Act (Act) already requires public high
schools to allow religious student clubs the same privileges
that are granted to secular student clubs.   2. The mandate in
the bill that schools must establish a limited public forum at
all school events with a p