Awad v. Ziriax

In 2010, Oklahoma voters passed a ballot initiative called SQ 755, which intended to ban sharia law from addition to the text of the Oklahoma Constitution. Muneer Awad, a Muslim citizen of Oklahoma, challenged the initiative soon after, claiming the implementation of SQ 755 would violate the First Amendment’s ban on the establishment of religion. Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, who presided over the heavily watched case, granted Awad’s request for a preliminary injunction, barring the initiative from being certified. On appeal, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed her decision, agreeing that the initiative was likely unconstitutional.

Awad v. Ziriax was a landmark case; the first time an American court ruled on whether a state could ban or limit Islamic sharia law.

Further Reading: Jeremy Grunert, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Sharia? Awad v. Ziriax and the Question of Sharia Law in America, 40 Pepp. L. Rev. 3 (2013). Available at: Link