AUSTIN, TX (WBAP/KLIF News) — Texas Boys State, the annual mock government for high school-aged boys, has voted to leave the United States and establish the Republic of Texas as a sovereign nation. Meeting at the Capitol, the young legislators also approved a new constitution and declaration of independence.
A news release from the group proclaimed, “This is the first time in Texas Boys State history that the government body decided to secede from the United States.The gallery of each chamber were cheering and celebrating because they have now made history by becoming a nation.”
A similar proposal barely missed passage at Boys State last year. It’s an issue that has been considered by the Texas Republican Party in an effort to put the question of secession to a statewide vote. The proposal made national headlines but was turned down after contentious debate.
The Houston Chronicle points out that state secession is a legal impossibility, quoting the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia who explained in 2006: “I cannot imagine that such a question could ever reach the Supreme Court. To begin with, the answer is clear. If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede.”
Boys State was established by the American Legion in 1935. The Girls State program was begun in 1942.
Copyright 2017, WBAP/KLIF News.
