ADF asks US Supreme Court to hear Oklahoma religious liberty case

WASHINGTON – Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board asked the U.S. Supreme Court Monday to hear the case Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in July that the board could not authorize a charter contract with St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School solely because the school is religious.

The nation’s high court has repeatedly held that religious groups cannot be excluded from generally available programs solely because of their religious character.

“Oklahoma parents and children are better off with more choices, not fewer. There’s great irony in state officials who claim to be in favor of religious liberty discriminating against St. Isidore because of its Catholic beliefs,” said ADF Senior Counsel Phil Sechler. “The U.S. Constitution protects St. Isidore’s freedom to operate according to its faith and supports the board’s decision to approve such learning options for Oklahoma families. Protecting the freedom of St. Isidore and other charter schools to operate according to their beliefs bolsters religious freedom across Oklahoma, which is why we are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take this important case.”

ADF attorneys opposed the lawsuit Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed in the Oklahoma Supreme Court to cancel the board’s contract with St. Isidore.

The petition filed with the U.S. Supreme Court explains that, as a result of the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision, “religious entities like St. Isidore and religious parents are being penalized for seeking to exercise their religion.” The case also implicates a circuit split over what qualifies as “state action.” And the Supreme Court’s “prompt intervention is needed to resolve the state-action split, ensure lower-court fidelity to [the Supreme] Court’s precedents, and restore essential constitutional protections.”

• Pronunciation guide: Sechler (SECK’-lur)

The ADF Center for Academic Freedom is dedicated to protecting First Amendment and related freedoms for students and faculty so that everyone can freely participate in the marketplace of ideas without fear of government censorship.

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