The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the state’s establishment of a religious school violates both the Oklahoma Constitution and U.S. Constitution by “using public money for the establishment of a religious institution.” The court’s ruling emphasized that approving the application to create St. Isidore, a religious virtual charter school, would result in state taxpayers directly funding religious education. It is about the State’s creation and funding of a new religious institution violating the Establishment Clause. Even if St. Isidore could assert free exercise rights, those rights would not override the legal prohibition under the Establishment Clause. Even the state’s attorney general, who asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to step in, warned the Charter School Board last year that approving the application to create St. Isidore would be unlawful state-sponsored religion. The board ignored his advice, making Oklahoma the first state in the nation to establish a religious charter school.

Source: CNN July 04, 2024 01:37 UTC