{"id":2583801,"date":"2026-03-25T18:02:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T22:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jewish-school-sues-oklahoma-over-charter-denial\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T18:04:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T22:04:38","slug":"jewish-school-sues-oklahoma-over-charter-denial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jewish-school-sues-oklahoma-over-charter-denial\/","title":{"rendered":"Jewish school sues Oklahoma over charter denial"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/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%2Fjewish-school-sues-oklahoma-over-charter-denial%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=2583801&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>A Jewish charter school foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against Oklahoma over the state\u2019s denial of the school\u2019s application to join the charter program. The National ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation argues the denial violates the First amendment\u2019s free exercise clause and the Fourteenth Amendment\u2019s equal protection clause, seeking a declaration, injunction, and nominal damages so the school can operate and serve Oklahoma children. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is backing the effort,with supporters accusing Oklahoma of excluding religious institutions from the program while welcoming others. The case comes less than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court deadlocked 4-4 in a related dispute involving a Catholic virtual school, leaving lower court rulings in place and raising questions about funding for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oklahoma-approves-countrys-first-religious-charter-school\/\" title=\"OK approves first ... ... school in US.\">religious charter schools<\/a>. The federal case was assigned to Judge David Lynn Russell, and no initial hearing had been scheduled at the time of the report. If the plaintiffs wont the supreme Court to weigh in, the matter would have to progress through the federal courts before possibly reaching the high court again.  <\/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\">Jewish school sues Oklahoma over charter denial after Supreme Court punted on issue<\/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\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2129779\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A Jewish charter <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/schools\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1017\">school<\/a> sued <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/oklahoma\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"715\">Oklahoma<\/a> this week over its denial of the school&rsquo;s application to the state&rsquo;s charter school program, less than a year after the Supreme Court <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3419408\/supreme-court-religious-charter-school-oklahoma-deadlocked\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3419408\/supreme-court-religious-charter-school-oklahoma-deadlocked\/\">punted<\/a> on the constitutionality of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-to-decide-fate-of-first-publicly-funded-catholic-charter-school-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... to decide fate of first publicly funded Catholic ... school - Washington Examiner\">taxpayer-funded religious charter schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The National&nbsp;Ben&nbsp;Gamla&nbsp;Jewish Charter School&nbsp;Foundation filed the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.okwd.134981\/gov.uscourts.okwd.134981.1.0.pdf\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.okwd.134981\/gov.uscourts.okwd.134981.1.0.pdf\">lawsuit<\/a> in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, claiming the denial of the school&rsquo;s admission to the state charter school program violates the free exercise clause of the First Amendment and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4503684\/doj-settles-with-michael-flynn-wrongful-prosecution\/\">DOJ settles with former Trump adviser Michael Flynn over wrongful prosecution<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4503764\/doj-charge-two-us-citizens-smuggle-ai-technology-china\/\">DOJ charges two US citizens with conspiring to smuggle AI technology to China<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4503360\/la-jury-finds-meta-and-youtube-liable-social-media-addiction\/\">Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in landmark social media addiction case<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;This is therefore a simple case&mdash;can Oklahoma arbitrarily exclude religious people from the charter school program? The Constitution says no,&rdquo; the lawsuit reads. &ldquo;For relief from these constitutional violations, Plaintiffs seek a declaration and injunction against Oklahoma&rsquo;s unlawful policy and nominal damages, so they can open their school and serve Oklahoman children.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Peter Deutsch, founder of the National Ben&nbsp;Gamla&nbsp;Jewish Charter School Foundation, accused Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond of &ldquo;keeping our doors locked simply because of our faith-based character.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;Becket&nbsp;Fund for Religious Liberty is backing the Jewish school in its bid to get a charter in Oklahoma, with Eric Baxter,&nbsp;senior counsel&nbsp;at Becket and attorney&nbsp;for&nbsp;the foundation at the center of the lawsuit, saying he <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >believes federal law protecting religious rights<\/a> is on their side.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Attorney General Drummond&nbsp;can&rsquo;t blacklist schools for being religious while welcoming everyone else with open arms,&rdquo;&nbsp;Baxter said&nbsp;in a statement.&nbsp;&ldquo;That kind of religious hostility is unlawful, unjust, and&nbsp;utterly at&nbsp;odds&nbsp;with&nbsp;decades of Supreme Court precedent.&nbsp;We&rsquo;re&nbsp;going to court to vindicate Ben&nbsp;Gamla&rsquo;s&nbsp;right to equal treatment under the law.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit was filed less than a year after the Supreme Court <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3419408\/supreme-court-religious-charter-school-oklahoma-deadlocked\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3419408\/supreme-court-religious-charter-school-oklahoma-deadlocked\/\">deadlocked<\/a> 4-4 in a similar case brought by a Catholic virtual school that appealed an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that had blocked the approval of the charter for the school due to its religious affiliation. The high court&rsquo;s deadlock meant that the lower court&rsquo;s ruling remained in place, and there was no precedent set by the Supreme Court in the matter.<\/p>\n<p>The split occurred after Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case. While Barrett did not cite a specific reason for recusal, legal analysts speculated the decision stemmed from her personal ties to Nicole Garnett, a Notre Dame law professor and early legal adviser to the Catholic school whose case made its way to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3419408\/supreme-court-religious-charter-school-oklahoma-deadlocked\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"3419408\">SUPREME COURT DEADLOCKED ON OKLAHOMA CATHOLIC CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING CASE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For the issue to return to the Supreme Court, the lawsuit filed by the National Ben&nbsp;Gamla&nbsp;Jewish Charter School Foundation would have to work its way through the federal district and appeals courts before it could be petitioned to the high court.<\/p>\n<p>The case in the federal district court was assigned to Judge David Lynn Russel, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan. An initial hearing in the case has yet to be scheduled.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/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>The National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against Oklahoma, asserting that the state\u2019s denial of its application to join the charter school program violates the First Amendment\u2019s Free Exercise Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment\u2019s Equal Protection Clause. Backed by the Becket Fund, the school contends Oklahoma cannot discriminate against religious schools and seeks a declaration, an injunction against the policy, and nominal damages so it can open and educate Oklahoma children. The case mirrors last year\u2019s Supreme Court deadlock in a related dispute over religiously affiliated charter funding and is before Judge David Lynn Russell in the Western District of Oklahoma; no hearing date has been set.<\/p>\n<p>Jewish charter school sues Oklahoma over charter denial<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2583802,"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\/2026\/03\/AP25066014606661.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[76537,76539,4585,12474,76538],"class_list":["post-2583801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-charter-schools-2","tag-jewish-community-2","tag-lawsuit","tag-oklahoma","tag-religious-education-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP25066014606661.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583801","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\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2583801"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2583805,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583801\/revisions\/2583805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2583802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2583801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2583801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2583801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}