News Release
For Immediate Release: 3.12.25
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters, Represented by First Liberty Institute, Filed Friend-of-the-court Brief at the Supreme Court Fighting Discrimination Against a Faith-based Charter School
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments to decide if religious charter schools violate the Establishment Clause
Washington, DC—Today, First Liberty Institute and the law firms Gibson Dunn and Spencer Fane filed a friend-of-the-court brief at the U.S. Supreme Court with Gibson Dunn representing First Liberty and First Liberty representing Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma Department of Education, and the Oklahoma Board of Education. The brief challenges the exclusion of religious schools from the state’s charter school program, thus violating the Free Exercise Clause.
You can read the brief here.
“As state superintendent, I have an obligation to provide the best possible education opportunities to Oklahoma’s students while abiding by Oklahoma state law and the U.S. Constitution,” said state superintendent, Ryan Walters. “I want to increase learning opportunities for all of our students by expanding education freedom, increasing the state’s number of charter schools, and giving parents the best possible options for their children.”
“Excluding schools simply because they are religious is a clear violation of the Constitution,” said Kelly Shackelford, CEO and Chief Counsel of First Liberty Institute. “This case provides an opportunity for the Supreme Court to show that states cannot discriminate against religious schools.”
“The Supreme Court has made clear in case after case that states violate the Free Exercise Clause when they target faith-based organizations for exclusion from public funds and benefits,” said Allyson Ho, partner at Gibson Dunn. “The message is unmistakable—religious discrimination is unacceptable.”
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About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org.
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