Becket

The founders of the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation in Oklahoma are challenging the state's refusal to approve their charter school, arguing that Oklahoma's nonsectarian requirement for charter schools constitutes religious discrimination. The case, which could determine the school's opening in 2027, follows a similar legal battle over a Catholic virtual charter school that deadlocked at the U.S. Supreme Court. The court will address whether the school can open during the litigation and whether families can access proposed policies.

A federal judge blocked New York's assisted-suicide law from requiring Catholic nuns and healthcare ministries to participate in medically assisted suicide while their lawsuit against the state is pending. The nuns argue the law violates their religious beliefs, and the court's decision temporarily preserves their ability to provide care without endorsing suicide.

A coalition of multifaith groups plans to ask the Supreme Court to review Texas' law allowing Ten Commandments displays in public schools, arguing it violates the First Amendment's establishment clause. The case contrasts with a 1980 ruling (Stone v. Graham) that banned such displays, as the Fifth Circuit recently upheld Texas' law, citing the Supreme Court's 2022 Kennedy v. Bremerton decision that discarded the Lemon test. The dispute centers on originalist interpretations of the founders' views on church-state separation.