Lawsuit Can Affect Anti-Sharia Ammendments In 20 States

Voice of America

A U.S. federal appeals court began hearing a case Monday on an amendment to Oklahoma's state constitution that bans Sharia, or Islamic law, as well as international law from being considered in state courts. Legal scholars say the case could affect similar moves in more than 20 other U.S. states.


In a referendum last year, 70 percent of voters in southwestern state of Oklahoma approved an amendment to the state's constitution that forbids courts from citing international or Sharia law in their judgments.


Last November, a judge in Oklahoma blocked the amendment after the leader of a Muslim civil rights group filed a lawsuit. The judge said the so-called "Save Our State Amendment" probably violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which separates religion and state. The lawsuit is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals based in Denver, Colorado.