FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2025

Contact: Court Beyer, cbeyer@americanhumanist.org

WASHINGTON – The following is a statement from American Humanist Association Executive Director Fish Stark in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 4-4 split decision on St. Isidore v. Drummond, a case that would have allowed the state of Oklahoma to launch the nation’s first religious charter school:

“Christian Nationalists failed, and the Supreme Court held the line. Today’s decision is cause for celebration: the constitutional principle of church-state separation and its guarantee of a secular public education remains the law of the land. The religious right’s attempts to demand taxpayers fund their religion would have paved the way for massive discrimination and indoctrination in public schools. No taxpayer should have to fund religious schools, much less ones that would exclude them based on their personal beliefs.

“Due to the nature of this decision, we expect our opponents to continue pursuing this radical legal theory. While the opposition recalibrates, we will use this time wisely to organize and mobilize our community to ensure this important victory stands.”

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The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.