{"id":2351836,"date":"2024-10-07T18:49:56","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T22:49:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-asked-to-approve-nations-first-catholic-charter-school-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-07T18:52:43","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T22:52:43","slug":"supreme-court-asked-to-approve-nations-first-catholic-charter-school-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-asked-to-approve-nations-first-catholic-charter-school-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court asked to approve nation&#8217;s first Catholic charter school &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsupreme-court-asked-to-approve-nations-first-catholic-charter-school-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2351836&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Supreme\u200b Court has been petitioned to review \u2062a case regarding the \u200dOklahoma Supreme Court&#8217;s decision\u2064 that blocked \u200cthe approval of \u2062the first religious \u2062charter school in the \u2063nation, the \u200bSt. Isidore\u2064 of Seville Catholic Virtual School.\u200b The\u2062 Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the state&#8217;s\u2062 charter school\u2063 board could not authorize the school simply due to \u200dits religious identity. This \u200cappeal adds \u2064to a \u2062series of contentious religious freedom cases the Supreme Court is considering.\u200b Advocates \u2064for the charter school argue that more \u2064educational choices benefit Oklahoma parents and children. In contrast, Oklahoma&#8217;s Attorney General Gentner Drummond, \u2063who had initially \u2062filed the lawsuit against\u200c the school, argues that permitting it could lead to taxpayer funding of various forms of \u200breligious indoctrination. The case raises questions about the interpretation of religious freedom protections under\u2064 the Constitution, particularly \u200bin light of previous Supreme \u2063Court decisions that\u2062 have favored the inclusion of religious organizations in public \u2062programs. The petition \u200chighlights a broader issue concerning the definition of &#8220;state action&#8221; and seeks consistent application of constitutional rights.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Supreme Court asked to green light nation&rsquo;s first Catholic charter school<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1778710\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Supreme Court<\/a> was petitioned Monday to take up a case challenging the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oklahoma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Oklahoma<\/a> Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision to block the approval of what would be the nation&rsquo;s first religious charter school.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The state&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amy-coney-barretts-1st-opinion-for-scotus-gets-no-respect-from-leading-liberal-justice\/\" title=\"Amy Coney Barrett\u2019s 1st Opinion For SCOTUS Gets No \u2018Respect\u2019 From Leading Liberal Justice\">high court ruled<\/a> in July that the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board could not authorize a charter for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School based solely on its religious nature. Now, the appeal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3157513\/supreme-court-asked-weigh-religious-liberty-cases-including-lgbt-content-opt-outs-schools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>is joining a list<\/a> of hot-button religious freedom cases that the justices have been asked to consider.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Oklahoma parents and children are better off with more choices, not fewer,&rdquo; said Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Phil Sechler, who is representing the charter school board.<\/p>\n<p>Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican who called the ruling against St. Isidore a &ldquo;tremendous victory for religious liberty,&rdquo; filed the original lawsuit against the Catholic charter school.<\/p>\n<p>Drummond <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoma.gov\/oag\/news\/newsroom\/2024\/october\/attorney-general-drummond-comments-on-st-isidore-filing.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> Monday that allowing the Catholic charter school would &ldquo;open the floodgates and force taxpayers to fund all manner of religious indoctrination, including radical Islam or even the Church of Satan.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Republican attorney general said Oklahomans can &ldquo;rest assured that I will always fight to protect their God-given rights and uphold the law.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sechler highlighted the &ldquo;irony&rdquo; in state officials, such as Drummond, advocating religious liberty while simultaneously &ldquo;discriminating&rdquo; against St. Isidore because of its Catholic foundation.<\/p>\n<p>After the state Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision in July, the charter school board was left with no other choice but to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/education\/3120006\/oklahoma-school-board-catholic-charter-school-contract-federal-appeal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>rescind its contract<\/a> ahead of the fall semester, when it was scheduled to commence classes.<\/p>\n<p>ADF argued that the ruling violated the Constitution&rsquo;s protections for religious freedom, as well as recent Supreme Court decisions that help religious organizations not be excluded from public programs merely due to their religious character.<\/p>\n<p>One major case the plaintiffs based their arguments on is <em>Carson v. Makin<\/em>, a 6-3 decision that came down in 2022, finding Maine&rsquo;s &ldquo;nonsectarian&rdquo; requirement for the state&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/parish-creates-ransom-fund-that-pays-parents-to-take-their-kids-out-of-public-school\/\" title=\"Parish Creates \u2018Ransom\u2019 Fund That Pays Parents To Take Their Kids Out Of Public School\">tuition assistance program<\/a> for private schools violated the Free Exercise Clause.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Oklahoma can now exclude &lsquo;sectarian&rsquo; charter schools &mdash; even a privately run, statewide virtual charter school open to all students and funded based on parents&rsquo; choices to enroll their students,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net\/files\/OK-StatewideCharterSchoolBoardCertPetition.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according<\/a> to the high court petition calling to undo the state Supreme Court&rsquo;s July ruling.<\/p>\n<p>The petition also raised a broader constitutional problem, including a circuit split over the definition of &ldquo;state action.&rdquo; ADF contends that immediate intervention from the court is necessary to ensure consistent interpretation of religious liberty protections across lower courts.<\/p>\n<p>Against the backdrop of the petition filed Monday, Oklahoma has become an even stronger beacon for Christian values and subject to criticism, in part thanks to actions taken by Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters.<\/p>\n<p>Walters previously called the Oklahoma Supreme Court&rsquo;s decision &ldquo;shameful&rdquo; and, in recent weeks, has pushed an initiative for the state to incorporate the Bible into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/msnbcs-ratings-continue-to-slide-as-viewers-vote-with-their-remote\/\" title=\"MSNBC\u2019s Ratings Continue To Slide, As Viewers Vote With Their Remote\">public school curricula<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>ADF seeks to reverse this ruling and restore what it claims are essential constitutional protections for religious schools and families in Oklahoma.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; Sechler said.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions each year and usually grants less than 1% of its total submissions, though the high court in recent years has shown an appetite for granting more religious freedom disputes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1778710\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1778710\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court petitioned to approve first Catholic charter school<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2351837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Supreme_Court_Law_22.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[42529,42530,32274,32275],"class_list":["post-2351836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-catholic-charter-school","tag-education-law","tag-religious-freedom","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Supreme_Court_Law_22.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2351836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2351836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2351837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2351836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2351836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2351836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}