logo
Supreme Court blocks creation of religious public charter school

Supreme Court blocks creation of religious public charter school

UPI22-05-2025

May 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court decided Thursday that the state of Oklahoma will not be permitted to create the first-ever religious public charter school with a deadlocked decision only a sentence in length.
The judges ended up in a 4-4 tie as Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case.
The decision, without a majority, sets no precedent and therefore leaves the question of legality in regard to whether religious schools can take part in taxpayer-funded state charter school programs unanswered.
It also means that the previous decision by the Oklahoma Supreme Court that denied a proposal by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa to launch an online Catholic school that would have been funded by taxpayers still stands.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in June of 2024 that "Under Oklahoma law, a charter school is a public school. As such, a charterschool must be nonsectarian."
The St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, created by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa in 2023, had said that as state funding for charter schools is generally made available to qualified organizations, the state could not discriminate based on religion.
"A ruling that Oklahoma's charter-school law unconstitutionally discriminates against religion would upend the federal [Charter Schools Program] and charter-school laws nationwide, sowing chaos and confusion for millions of charter-school students," the state Supreme Court said in its ruling.
Justice Barrett did not publicly explain her recusal, but it could be related to her ties to Notre Dame Law School, whose religious liberty clinic represents St Isidore.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond responded to the Supreme Court's decision in an X post Thursday.
"The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of my position that we should not allow taxpayer funding of radical Islamic schools here in Oklahoma. I am proud to have fought against this potential cancer in our state, and I will continue upholding the law, protecting our Christian values and defending religious liberty," Drummond said.
Gentner's reference to "radical Islamic schools" is a callback to his statement made in June of 2024 when the state Supreme Court made its ruling, when he said that "by preventing the State from sponsoring any religion at all," it would assure Oklahomans " that our tax dollars will not fund the teachings of Sharia Law or even Satanism."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Greta Thunberg among Gaza-flotilla activists deported from Israel
Greta Thunberg among Gaza-flotilla activists deported from Israel

Miami Herald

timean hour ago

  • Miami Herald

Greta Thunberg among Gaza-flotilla activists deported from Israel

June 10 (UPI) -- Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was on a flight to France on Tuesday en route home to Sweden after being deported from Israel a day after the Gaza-bound aid yacht she was on was intercepted by the Israeli military off the coast of Egypt and diverted to Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the 22-year-old left the country and posted photos on X of her boarding what appeared to be a commercial flight and sitting in an aisle seat with her belt fastened. It had been only around 12 hours since the British-flagged Madleen arrived at the southern Israeli port of Ashdod under Israeli naval escort late Monday. She was accompanied by at least one French citizen who had also voluntarily agreed to be deported, according to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, but in a post on X, he said five other French nationals in the group would be subject to "a forced expulsion process." Barrot said the detained French citizens had consular access. Le Monde reported that European Parliament Member Rima Hassan was among the French contingent detained. The status of the other five people aboard the vessel -- from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and Brazil -- was unclear, but the Foreign Ministry said those who refused to sign deportation documents and leave Israel would be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation. It stressed that all the detainees had met with officials from their respective consulates. Israeli authorities, which have dismissed the mission by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as a publicity stunt by celebrities, dubbing the effort the "selfie yacht," attempted to sway the activists by showing them a graphic 43-minute video of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on the orders of Israeli President Israel Katz. "I instructed the IDF to show the flotilla passengers the video of the horrors of the Oct. 7 massacre when they arrive at the port of Ashdod. It is appropriate that the anti-Semitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself," Katz wrote on X. Katz claimed the group refused to continue watching once they found out what it was about. The FFC posted on social media in the early hours of Monday that the Madleen was under siege in international waters off Egypt, "surrounded by quadcopters", being doused with "a white irritant substance," and that its communications systems had been electronically jammed. "The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo -- including baby formula, food and medical supplies -- confiscated," it said in a statement. Israel issued photos of activists being handed sandwiches and water by Israeli military personnel with a caption stating the group were on their way to Israel and "in good spirits, but the Israeli version of events was disputed by Thunberg in a video released by FFC. "If you see this video we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel," she said in the 25 second clip on X in which she also urged her family and friends to lobby the Swedish government to push for their release as soon as possible. The Madleen set sail from Catania on Sicily, loaded with life-saving supplies on June 1 in an effort to break an 80-day blockade on international aid entering Gaza imposed by Israel after it pulled out of a U.S.-brokered cease-fire deal that lasted from January to March. In early May, Thunberg was scheduled to board another FFC vessel, the 1,000-ton Conscience, attempting to sail to Gaza when it was badly damaged in an alleged drone strike off Malta in the western Mediterranean. FFC said the vessel had been en route to Malta to pick up volunteers from at least 21 countries who had traveled to the island to join the mission when it was attacked, among them Thunberg and retired U.S. Army Colonel Mary Ann Wright. In May 2010, nine people involved in a similar mission to Gaza were killed and many others seriously wounded when Israeli forces intercepted the Mavi Marmara, part of a flotilla of six vessels, in international waters. A U.N. Panel of Inquiry ruled that the loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force by Israeli forces during their takeover of the vessel were unacceptable and that they had provided no satisfactory explanation for any of the nine deaths, all of which were from gunshot wounds. "There was significant mistreatment of passengers by Israeli authorities after the takeover of the vessels had been completed through until their deportation. This included physical mistreatment, harassment and intimidation, unjustified confiscation of belongings and the denial of timely consular assistance." However, the report noted that Israeli Defense Forces personnel were confronted by significant, organized and violent resistance when they boarded the Mavi Marmara, requiring them to defend themselves, and that three soldiers were taken hostage and several others wounded. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

At least nine killed in shooting at high school in Austria
At least nine killed in shooting at high school in Austria

Miami Herald

timean hour ago

  • Miami Herald

At least nine killed in shooting at high school in Austria

June 10 (UPI) -- Several students and at least one adult were killed Tuesday in a shooting inside a high school in Graz in southeastern Austria, authorities said. The actual casualty toll was unclear as Graz Mayor Elke Kahr told local media that 10 people were dead, while the interior ministry said nine people had been killed in the attack at the Dreierschützengasse school, which took place at about 10 a.m. local time. One report put the number of children killed at 7. The city's police confirmed the shooting suspect was also dead, probably by his own hand, and that a number of people had been seriously injured. They said there was no further danger to the public and that the site was secure. Austrian media said 30 people were receiving hospital treatment. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said a "national tragedy" had befallen Austria, and that no words could express people's grief and pain across the country. "These were young people who had their whole lives ahead of them," said Stocker. He was on his way to Graz and expected to arrive at the scene Tuesday afternoon. In Vienna, Flags were lowered to half-mast outside the Federal Chancellery building. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed shock at the shooting and said she was thinking of the victims and their families and friends. "Schools are symbols of youth, hope, and the future. It is difficult to bear when schools become places of death and violence," she posted in German on X. Speaking to Austrian public TV, Kahr called it a "terrible tragedy" and asked residents to come out in support and solidarity with the students. She said authorities would hold a press conference at 3 p.m. local time. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Eric Adams signs order adopting controversial definition of antisemitism
Eric Adams signs order adopting controversial definition of antisemitism

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Eric Adams signs order adopting controversial definition of antisemitism

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, signed an executive order this week adopting a controversial definition of antisemitism, as Israel's invasion of Gaza and alleged antisemitism continued to dominate the city's mayoral election. The mayor signed the order, which requires city agencies to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's description of antisemitism, at a synagogue in Manhattan on Sunday. Adams described antisemitism as 'a vile disease that's been spreading across our nation and our city'. Critics of the definition say it is designed to protect Israel by punishing legitimate criticism. Examples of antisemitism that accompany the formal definition include 'claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor' and 'applying double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation'. The lead author of the definition has spoken out against its use to suppress free speech. The move comes two weeks ahead of the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, where a number of high-profile candidates are running against Adams. Support for Israel and the city's Jewish population has become a key issue, with the frontrunners holding starkly different views on Israel's war on Gaza. Related: The new definition of antisemitism is transforming America – and serving a Christian nationalist plan Adams, a deeply unpopular first-term mayor whose time in office has been blighted by accusations of accepting bribes, has positioned himself as a staunch defender of Israel as he seeks to win election. He referenced the recent murder of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington and the attack on a crowd of people in Colorado who were raising awareness for Israeli hostages in Gaza before signing the order. 'Since Hamas' terror attacks on October 7 2023, we have seen this hateful rhetoric become normalized on our campuses, in our communities, and online as antisemitic propaganda far too often masquerades as 'activism'. When Jewish New Yorkers make up 11% of the population but more than half of all hate crimes, we know this moment demands bold, decisive action to crack down on anti-Jewish hatred,' Adams said. Antisemitic and Islamophobic violence have risen since the Hamas attack and Israel's response, and Adams has criticized pro-Palestinian demonstrations which have taken place on university campuses and around the city. Adams was elected as a Democrat, but is running as an independent candidate in this year's election. His main rivals are Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York who resigned in 2021 amid accusations of sexual harassment, and Zohran Mamdani, a New York state representative. In 2021, Orthodox Jewish support helped Adams win the Democratic primary, but with Cuomo, Adams is up against a fellow staunch supporter of Israel. Last year, Cuomo joined Benjamin Netanyahu's legal defense team after the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister for alleged war crimes in Gaza. Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who has long been outspoken on Palestinian rights, has described the situation in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 50,000 people, as 'genocide' and said he would have Netanyahu arrested if he came to the city. Adams signed the executive order at a synagogue in Manhattan on Sunday. He then sat for a discussion with Phil McGraw, a television personality and Trump supporter, about the threat of antisemitism, in which he criticized anti-Israel demonstrations at universities.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store