SAVE OUR STATE: A DECADE OF WRITING ON JURISDICTION AND SOVEREIGNTY IN EAST AND WEST ASIA

In: International journal of Middle East studies: IJMES, Band 45, Heft 1, S. 149-160

Abstract

On 2 November 2010, the voters of Oklahoma passed the so-called "Save Our State Amendment." This amendment to Oklahoma's constitution prohibited Oklahoma courts from "look[ing] to the legal precepts of other nations or cultures. Specifically," it asserted, "the courts shall not consider international law or Sharia Law." This legislative moment in middle America passed quickly. Commentators both inside and outside the United States responded to the amendment with bewilderment—and in 2012, a federal appeals court ruled the amendment unconstitutional. "Save Our State" died before it could have any far-reaching effect.