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Which U.S. states passed laws or constitutional amendments banning Sharia law since 2010?
Executive summary
Since 2010 several U.S. states enacted laws or ballot measures that explicitly or functionally targeted “Sharia” or foreign law, with Oklahoma’s 2010 constitutional amendment the most prominent and later blocked by federal courts as unconstitutional [1] [2]. Reporting and legal groups note that many of the other state actions were framed as bans on “foreign” or “international” law and drew criticism for being unnecessary and potentially discriminatory [3] [4].
1. The landmark: Oklahoma’s 2010 amendment and its legal fate
Voters in Oklahoma approved a 2010 constitutional amendment that named “Sharia” and barred state courts from using it or “international law,” but courts enjoined the measure as unconstitutional and a federal judge found no evidence courts had applied Sharia in Oklahoma; the ACLU and other litigants successfully challenged the amendment [1] [2] [3].
2. Copy‑cat laws and “foreign law” framing across states
After 2010, many states considered or passed statutes or resolutions that did not always name Sharia but restricted the application of “foreign” or “international” law; advocates of these measures said they sought to protect the Constitution, while critics — including civil liberties groups — argued the language functioned as an anti‑Muslim targeting tool [3] [5] [4].
3. Who promoted the wave of bills — model legislation and networks
Investigative reporting traced much of the push to model bills and organized networks that encouraged state copy‑cat legislation, including the “American Laws for American Courts” model; supporters say the measures are religion‑neutral, while opponents say the campaign was an “organizing tool for hate groups” with limited real‑world problems to solve [5].
4. How many states? Reporting disputes and common exaggerations
Claims that a majority of states “banned Sharia” are misleading; fact‑checks emphasize that most enacted laws targeted the use of any foreign law in limited circumstances rather than outlawing private religious practice, and headlines claiming a large number of outright Sharia bans overstate what the statutes do [4].
5. Legal and practical limits on such bans
Legal analysts have warned that prohibiting courts from considering foreign or international law can conflict with the Federal Arbitration Act and treaty obligations, and may unintentionally affect recognition of foreign judgments, prenuptial agreements, or international family law matters — problems the Brennan Center and civil liberties advocates highlighted [1] [3].
6. Recent re‑emergence and new state efforts (context from 2024–25 coverage)
The debate re‑surfaced in 2024–25 with new bills and federal proposals, and high‑profile politicians declaring intent to “ban Sharia” at state or national levels; these contemporary efforts echo earlier model legislation while drawing renewed criticism that they stoke Islamophobia rather than address demonstrated legal needs [6] [7] [8] [9].
7. Two perspectives: security/sovereignty vs. civil‑rights concerns
Supporters frame bans as defense of constitutional supremacy and protection against parallel legal systems; proponents such as bill sponsors argue courts should not enforce foreign religious norms that contradict U.S. law [6] [10]. Opponents — the ACLU, civil‑rights groups, and many legal scholars — argue these measures single out Muslims, are legally unnecessary, and risk violating equal‑protection and church‑state principles [2] [3] [5].
8. What available sources do and don’t list
Available sources in this packet document Oklahoma’s 2010 amendment and widespread state legislative activity (including model‑bill diffusion), and they include contemporary reporting of new bills in Texas and Florida; however, these materials do not provide a comprehensive state‑by‑state roll call of every law or amendment passed since 2010, so a definitive list of all states that enacted explicit “Sharia bans” is not found in the current reporting [1] [5] [11].
9. Bottom line for readers
If you seek a state‑by‑state inventory, note that much reporting shows a patchwork: a few states passed measures that explicitly named Sharia (Oklahoma is the clearest example) while many others adopted broader “foreign law” restrictions inspired by model bills; independent legal groups advise that the practical need for such bans was small and that several measures faced legal and civil‑rights challenges [1] [3] [4] [5].