FILE - The Oklahoma Supreme Court is pictured in the state Capitol building in Oklahoma City, May 19, 2014. The Oklahoma State Supreme Court, in a lawsuit by a suburban Oklahoma City school district, on Tuesday, June 12, 2024, has rejected the state Board of Education’s attempt to determine what books are available in public school libraries. FILE - Ryan Walters, Republican candidate for Oklahoma State Superintendent, speaks at a rally, Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City.
“The state Board of Education is attempting to exercise unauthorized quasi-judicial authority in enforcement proceedings before the board,” Justice James E. Edmondson wrote in the unanimous ruling Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by Edmond Public Schools. The board, led by state Superintendent Ryan Walters, had recommended the suburban school district remove two books — “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini and “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls — after new rules were approved in June 2023 that banned books and other media that contain pornographic and sexualized content.DOJ adds Oklahoma to the list of states it’s suing to block their immigration lawsThe district welcomed the decision in a statement.