On Tuesday, April 01, 2025, Governor Kevin Stitt issued an Executive Order positioning Oklahoma as the nation’s strongest defender of religious liberty.

The Executive Order directs all state agencies to root out laws, regulations, and policies that exclude religious individuals or institutions from public programs, funds, or benefits. It builds on a string of recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings—Trinity Lutheran v. Comer, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, and Carson v. Makin - which establish that states cannot discriminate against religious entities in public life.

Governor Stitt’s action comes shortly before the United States Supreme Court hears oral arguments in the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond. Oral arguments will occur on April 30, 2025.

“Religious freedom is foundational to our way of life in Oklahoma. It’s not a privilege handed out by the government—it’s a God-given right that the government must protect,” said Stitt. “We will not stand by while faith-based organizations – including faith-based schools – are pushed to the sidelines by activist bureaucrats or hostile politicians.”

Governor Stitt filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the charter board and St. Isidore, arguing that faith-based institutions have the same right to participate in public programs as any other entity.

This executive order mandates a full review and revision of any state law or regulation that excludes religious entities, including outdated provisions in public education, arts funding, and historical preservation programs. It follows the Legislature’s 2023 amendment to Oklahoma’s Religious Freedom Act (RFA), which makes clear that denying access to government programs based solely on religious character constitutes a substantial burden on the free exercise of religion.

The full text of the Executive Order is available here.

Read the amicus brief in full here.