Court Hears St. Isidore Arguments
It’s a question of religious liberty if you ask the state virtual charter school board. But it’s a violation of the doctrine separating religion from government if you ask the attorney general.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments about the constitutionality of the nation’s first publicly funded religious school. St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School plans to open July 1 and have its first day of school Aug. 12 with as many as 500 students.
“In this instance, the church and the state are joint venturers,” Drummond told the Court. “The charter has formed a first-in-the-nation actual union of church and state. This case is not about the exclusion of a religious entity from government aid, which implicates the Free Exercise of Religion. Rather, it is about the state’s creation of a public religious school.”
Philip Sechler, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, a national Christian law firm representing the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, said the state doesn’t operate the school. Sechler said it’s privately operated with its own bylaws, staff and curriculum. He also said no one is required to attend, calling St. Isidore’s one choice among many.
Read Jennifer Palmer’s story at OklahomaWatch.org.
More worth reading:
Blevins Ousted in Enid
A city commissioner who attended a white nationalist event was defeated in a recall election. [Enid News & Eagle]
Court: Legislature Can Compact Without Governor
Oklahoma lawmakers can renew state-tribal compacts over the governor’s objections, the state’s highest civil court ruled Tuesday in a long-awaited decision. [The Oklahoman]
Poultry Bill Advances
A bill that would offer poultry producers protection against lawsuits related to water pollution passed through the Senate’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. [Tulsa World]
Court Won’t Reconsider Minimum Wage Petition
The Oklahoma Supreme Court said it will not revisit its decision that an initiative petition seeking to raise the minimum wage was constitutional. [Oklahoma Voice]
Only Oklahoma and Florida have impeached two different governors. Illinois, the only other state with two gubernatorial impeachments, impeached the same governor twice.
Ciao for now,
Ted Streuli
Executive Director, Oklahoma Watch
tstreuli@oklahomawatch.org
