The Arizona House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to censure State Representative Stephanie Stahl (D-Flagstaff) by a vote of 30-28 for hiding Bibles placed on a table at the House lounge at least three times. Earlier this month, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee unanimously determined that Stahl committed “disorderly behavior” and referred the matter to the full House to consider what discipline to implement.
Some legislators made arguments on the House floor recommending expulsion, pointing to the ouster of former State Representative Liz Harris (R-Chandler) in April for what many believed was not any worse behavior. “How we operate while we are here depends greatly on our leadership and our consistency while we’re in session,” State Representative Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale), the Ethics Committee chair, said. “I vote yes.”
Stahl was caught on video camera in March and April removing the Bibles and hiding them under couch cushions and in a refrigerator. Three Arizona State Representatives filed the complaint on May 1 against Stahl; Justin Heap (R-Mesa), David Marshall (R-Snowflake), and Lupe Diaz (R-Benson).
After news media reported on the incident, Stahl acknowledged the wrongdoing on the House floor on April 26. She said, “I acknowledge that a conversation about the separation of church and state should have begun with a conversation, and for that, I apologize.” According to the report, Stahl characterized her actions as “playful commentary” and a peaceful protest.
The committee, chaired by State Representative Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale), said in its report that Stahl submitted a response to the committee regarding the complaint. She said she “is an ordained Presbyterian minister” and that “[h]er actions were a peaceful protest regarding the separation of church and state, and in response to the weaponizing of politics.” The report noted that Stahl “did not provide further explanation for the proposition that the mere presence of Bibles in the Members’ Lounge violates the separation of church of state or any of her constitutional rights.”
Stahl asserted that “she has the legal right to use items in the Members’ Lounge,” but the report said “she did not articulate how using a Bible is equivalent to removing Bibles from their designated locations and concealing them in a disrespectful manner.” Stahl’s actions “made it impossible for the other legislators to exercise their right” to use the Bibles.
The three House lawmakers also accused Stahl of creating a hostile work environment. In her response, Stahl said that was “legally impossible” since she wasn’t an employer or supervisor of legislators, but the report noted that she submitted no “case law or other legal authority” supporting her contention.
Stahl submitted a supplemental response after the deadline the committee gave her, which added an apology.
The committee held a hearing on May 25 to consider the accusations. Stahl sent an attorney in her place, who declined to answer some of the committee’s questions, the report stated.
The report made four findings. First, Stahl “purposely removed the Bibles” three times. Second, she “purposely concealed the Bibles in a manner that was disrespectful to other Members.” Third, she “did not fully apologize for her conduct.” The report observed that Stahl apologized to the members, and “for the fact she realized that ‘a conversation about the separation of church and state should have begun with a conversation,’” but she failed to apologize for “the actions themselves,” instead justifying them as a “peaceful protest.”
Fourth, the committee found that her “actions offended some Members of the House, violated the inherent obligation to protect the integrity of the House, and caused the House to expend resources.” The report noted that it “caused Members to struggle with the idea that a text that they consider holy and sacred has been disrespectfully sat upon, or worse, that they themselves might have unknowingly done so.”
Additionally, the report said it deprived lawmakers of their right to read the Bibles, since House Sergeant at Arms Chuck Fitzgerald testified that he’d observed lawmakers reading the Bibles, and Heap said he occasionally did and noticed once when they were missing.
At least one Republican voted against the censure, State Representative David Cook of Globe. Calling Stahl a friend, he said, “Everyone in this room, everyone you know, every family member that I have, has made a poor decision at one time. I think this is overkill for a badly chosen prank.” Two Democrats were absent and missed the vote.
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Rachel Alexander is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Rachel on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Arizona House of Representatives Chamber” by Visitor7. CC BY-SA 3.0.
