U.S. Supreme Court Weighs Legality of Nation’s First Publicly Funded Religious Charter School
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in Oklahoma Charter School Board v. Drummond, which will decide if Oklahoma can establish the nation’s first publicly funded religious school.
The main issue in the case is whether charter schools are public schools.
If they are public schools, State Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s side says they are subject to laws that prevent them from receiving public money to teach religion as truth.
The other side represents the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School and the charter school board that approved its contract.
It says charter schools act as private government contractors, giving them a right to the Free Exercise of Religion.
"Our cases have made very clear — and I think those are some of the most important cases we’ve had, of saying you can’t treat religious people and religious institutions and religious speech as second class in the United States," said Justice Brett Kavanaugh. "And when you have a program that’s open to all comers, except religion — 'No, we can’t do that, we can do everything else,' — that seems like ranked discrimination against religion, and that’s the concern that I think you need to deal with here."
Because Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case, the decision will likely hinge on the opinion of Chief Justice John Roberts.
If the court delivers a 4-4 decision this summer, the previous ruling from the Oklahoma Supreme Court will stand, which declared St. Isidore’s contract with the state to be unconstitutional.
April Record Rainfall in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City’s just had its wettest April on record, with more than a foot of rain.
By Wednesday afternoon, the climate station at Will Rogers International Airport had received 12.55 inches of rain, beating the city’s 1947 record of just under one foot.
It’s one of the National Weather Service in Norman’s three climate sites — the measurement stations at Lawton and Wichita Falls also broke April rainfall records this year.
A series of storm systems brought above-average rainfall and flooding issues across most of the state.
It’s been a period of weather extremes for Oklahoma, after 2024 saw the state break records for driest October, wettest November, hottest year and most tornadoes.
At least seven people have died in April as a result of flooding on Oklahoma roadways.
Former Sen. Jake Merrick Launches 2026 Gubernatorial Bid
Former Republican Senator Jake Merrick is running to become Oklahoma’s next governor in 2026. Merrick is the sixth person vying for the state’s top executive seat.
During his time in office serving Northwest Edmond’s Senate District 22, Merrick carried measures to expand gun rights for convicted felons, restrict transgender children from using certain restrooms in schools and prohibit state agencies from requiring vaccines before delivering on services.
He announced his run for governor Monday on the steps of the capitol. However, he isn’t officially filing with the state or taking campaign donations until around this time next year.
Among the speakers endorsing Merrick at the announcement event titled "conservative voices silenced: take back the capitol, open the floor" were current Republicans Sen. Shane Jett from Shawnee and Rep. Jim Shaw from Chandler.
Jett chairs the Oklahoma chapter of the Freedom Caucus, a far-right sect of lawmakers pushing a Christian-colored portrait of America’s future through policy.
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