Texas Social Studies Curriculum Review Led by Scholar who Called Biden Election a "Literal Coup"

A conservative scholar who questioned the 2020 presidential election results is involved in reviewing state social studies curriculum standards for public schools.

Stephen Balch, a former professor who also has opposed the 2015 Supreme Court ruling overturning state bans on same-sex marriage, is a content adviser for the revision of the standards that will guide social studies courses from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The Texas Freedom Network, a liberal group promoting religious freedom and education, is calling on the State Board of Education to withdraw Balch's appointment, citing his writings calling the 2020 election a "literal coup," among other things.

In an essay after President Joe Biden's election, Balch questioned the integrity of the results, as did former President Donald Trump and other Republicans who continue to press unfounded concerns of widespread voter fraud.

"President Trump and his allies have rightly taken their case into the courts. But more needs to be accomplished. ... So damn the COVID, the president must now lead his followers into America’s streets and squares. They must especially flock to the capitol complexes of all the critical states and register indignant protest," he wrote Nov. 30, 2020, for the conservative website American Greatness.