Federal Court Strikes Down Oklahoma Sharia and International Law Ban

AUSTIN, Texas— The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Freedom From Religion Foundation announced today that they will sue over Texas Senate Bill No. 10, which requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. After receiving final legislative approval Wednesday, the bill has been sent to Gov. Greg Abbott where it is expected to be signed into law. Under S.B. 10, every public elementary and secondary school in Texas must display a poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments “in a conspicuous place in each classroom.” The bill mandates that the display be no smaller than 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and that the Commandments be set forth “in a size and typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom.” The bill also requires that a specific version of the Ten Commandments, selected by lawmakers and associated with Protestant faiths, be used for every display. S.B. 10 is prohibited by longstanding Supreme Court precedent. Nearly 50 years ago, in Stone v. Graham, the Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment forbids public schools from posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Following this precedent, a federal district court recently held in Roake v. Brumley that a Louisiana law similar to S.B. 10 violates parents’ and students’ rights under the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses of the First Amendment. The court ruled that the displays will religiously coerce students, who are legally required to attend school and are thus a captive audience for school-sponsored religious messages, and will usurp families’ right to direct children’s religious education. That case, in which the plaintiffs are represented by the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Freedom from Religion Foundation, and the ACLU of Louisiana, is currently on appeal in the Fifth Circuit. In response to the passage of S.B. 10, the groups intending to challenge the law issued the following joint statement: “S.B. 10 is blatantly unconstitutional. We will be working with Texas public school families to prepare a lawsuit to stop this violation of students’ and parents’ First Amendment rights. “We all have the right to decide what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice. Government officials have no business intruding on these deeply personal religious matters. S.B. 10 will subject students to state-sponsored displays of the Ten Commandments for nearly every hour of their public education. It is religiously coercive and interferes with families’ right to direct children’s religious education. “Texas communities and public schools are religiously diverse. Many public school families do not practice any religion at all, while many others practice religions that do not consider the Ten Commandments to be part of their faith traditions. Even among those who may believe in some version of the Ten Commandments, the particular text they adhere to can differ by religious denomination. The version of scripture set forth in S.B. 10, however, is associated only with Protestant faiths, and does not reflect the beliefs of most Jewish and Catholic families. “S.B. 10 will co-opt the faith of millions of Texans and marginalize students and families who do not subscribe to the state’s favored scripture. We will not allow Texas lawmakers to divide communities along religious lines and attempt to turn public schools into Sunday schools. If Governor Abbott signs this measure into law, we will file suit to defend the fundamental religious freedom rights of all Texas students and parents. We encourage all concerned public school parents to contact us."

QUINCY, MASS. – A multifaith group of Quincy, Massachusetts residents and taxpayers filed a lawsuit today in Norfolk Superior Court to halt the planned installation of two large religious statues of Catholic saints at the entrance of the city’s new public safety building. The plaintiffs are members of diverse faiths who do not want their government officials and publicly-owned property to promote specific religious beliefs. Their lawsuit explains that the plan — conceived and spearheaded by Mayor Thomas Koch — promotes one religion over others, and religion over nonreligion, violating the Massachusetts Constitution. The plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction that would prevent the City from proceeding with its unconstitutional plan during the pendency of the lawsuit. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. “This isn’t about opposing anyone’s faith — it’s about keeping government neutral so that everyone, regardless of what they believe, feels equally welcome and protected,” said plaintiff Gilly Rosenthol. “No one should have to walk past giant religious monuments just to access a public safety building. That sends the wrong message about who our city serves — and who it doesn’t.” In early February, the Patriot Ledger published the first report about Mayor Koch’s plan to display two ten-foot-tall bronze statues of Catholic saints outside the entrance of Quincy’s new public safety building, which will house the Police Department’s new headquarters. According to the lawsuit, the mayor had already commissioned the statues — with a cost to taxpayers of at least $850,000 — by the time the plans were uncovered by local media. Although the City Council voted numerous times to approve funding for the new public safety building, Mayor Koch’s plan was never presented or discussed at those meetings, and the public was never given an opportunity to weigh in on it. At a council meeting later that month, the mayor’s staff dismissed all concerns about the cost, transparency, and legality of the plan. In the weeks following news of the religious statues, multiple groups wrote letters to the mayor and City Council — including the ACLU of Massachusetts, Americans United, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation — raising serious constitutional concerns. In addition, a group of local faith leaders from the Quincy Interfaith Network issued a statement objecting to the plan. “The City has abandoned its constitutional duty to remain neutral on matters of faith,” said Heather L. Weaver, Senior Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. “The new public safety building will be home to many critical government services, but the moment they walk in the door, Quincy residents who do not share the City’s favored religious beliefs will get the message that they are not welcome.” "Mayor Koch has made the costly decision to proceed with the unlawful plan to install two larger-than-life statues of Catholic saints at the entrance to a public building in Quincy,” said Rachel Davidson, staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts. “This plan was conceived and implemented without public input and with total disregard for the concerns raised by constituents and local faith leaders. The statues send a message that the Quincy government favors one faith above all others. This flagrantly violates our state constitution.” “Mayor Koch is abusing the power of his government office to impose religious beliefs on all Quincy residents,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. “The core principles of church-state separation and religious freedom promised in the Massachusetts Constitution require government buildings and other public spaces to be inclusive of people of all religions and none. By installing religious statues in front of the government building dedicated to public safety, Koch and the City are violating that promise and sending a message to all who rely on city police and fire services that one faith is favored over all others.” “This is a clear breach of the constitutional wall of separation,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Quincy taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for an ostentatiously specific religious display.” The lawsuit alleges that the planned religious statues violate Article 3 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights by imposing religious symbols upon all who work in, visit, or pass by the public safety building; by conveying the message that Quincy is exclusively a Catholic community and that non-Catholics do not belong or are less valued; and by excessively entangling the City with religion. You can find a copy of the lawsuit here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2025/05/2025.05.27-Complaint.pdf

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a major victory for religious freedom and public education, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that blocked approval of the nation’s first religious public charter school. Today’s ruling reinforces the First Amendment’s fundamental principle that religion and government must remain separate. “The very idea of a religious public school is a constitutional oxymoron,” said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU’s Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. “The Supreme Court’s ruling affirms that a religious school can’t be a public school and a public school can’t be religious.” In 2023, the Oklahoma Virtual Charter School Board approved the application of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School, even though the school claimed a right to impose Catholic doctrine on students and to discriminate in admissions, discipline, and employment in violation of state and federal law. The ACLU, along with Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Education Law Center, and Freedom From Religion Foundation filed suit on behalf of parents, faith leaders, and public-school advocates. And last year, in a separate lawsuit brought by the Oklahoma Attorney General, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the state’s approval of the religious public school was unconstitutional. In April, the ACLU and allies filed a Supreme Court amicus brief in that case, explaining that the Oklahoma Supreme Court correctly ruled that charter schools are public schools and, as governmental entities, must abide by state and federal constitutional protections. “Requiring states to allow religious public schools would dismantle religious freedom and public education as we know it,” said Cecillia Wang, national legal director of the ACLU. “Today, a core American constitutional value remains in place: Public schools must remain secular and welcome all students, regardless of faith.”

OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against it by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). FFRF sent letters to public schools in Oklahoma objecting to religious activities, prompting State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma Department of Education to file a “SLAPP” suit seeking to punish its constitutionally protected speech. The state’s Department of Education has failed to identify any actual violation of law. “We are proud of the work we are doing to protect the rights of conscience of public school children in Oklahoma,” said Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president. “This frivolous lawsuit by Ryan Walters seeks to silence FFRF, and we are not going to allow that to happen.” FFRF is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Oklahoma. This “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation” (SLAPP) seeks to chill the free speech and petition rights of FFRF. SLAPP suits are used to weaponize the legal system to punish and silence constitutionally protected speech. “Advocacy organizations have the right to criticize government policy and push for change,” said Megan Lambert, legal director of the ACLU of Oklahoma. “This lawsuit is just another in a long line of political stunts by OSDE as it seeks to silence and punish dissent. We will vigorously defend FFRF’s First Amendment rights against the Department’s abuse of the legal process.” “Our client has not violated any law by speaking out against religious activities in Oklahoma public schools,” said Vera Eidelman, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “This lawsuit has one goal: to chill our client’s ability to petition the government. This is an abusive legal tactic intended to punish people and organizations for speaking out and fighting back against government policies.” The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The motion can be viewed online here.