'Nothing more than conjecture': MAGA education chief slapped down by Trump-appointed judge

Embattled Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ effort to quash dissent on his plans to enact Christian and pro-Trump content into state schools' curriculum was slapped down Friday by a Trump-appointed judge, MSNBC reported Friday.

“Walters has pushed to convert Oklahoma’s public schools into hubs of right-wing religious indoctrination, through controversies such as his promotion of Bible-infused lesson plans and his attempt to require that schools show students a propaganda video of him praying for Donald Trump and attacking liberals,” wrote MSNBC reporter Ja’han Jones.

In an effort to halt Walters’ religious transformation of Oklahoma schools, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the separation of church and state, sent letters to Oklahoma school districts warning of the potential impacts of the direction Walters was taking public education in the state.

Walters promptly sued the organization, claiming it had “interfered” with his and other education officials’ ability to function, but was shut down Friday after U.S. District Court Judge John Heil issued a scathing ruling.

“How do Defendant’s letters interfere with Plaintiffs’ authority or ability to administer Oklahoma’s public schools?” the ruling reads.

“In what way are Plaintiffs precluded from administering Oklahoma’s public schools because of Defendant’s letters? The Complaint does not answer these questions… plaintiffs’ generalized statement of injury is nothing more than conjecture.”

Walters has only continued to amass scrutiny, with law enforcement actively investigating the state superintendent for allegedly viewing pornography in his office during an executive session of the Oklahoma State Board of Education.

His pro-Christian, pro-Trump rhetoric manifested into the creation of a new department within the Oklahoma education system in late 2024 with the creation of the “Department of Religious Freedom and Patriotism," announced in a video published by Walters that shows him inviting students to join him in praying for President Donald Trump, then the president-elect.