High court declines to review Oklahomaâ€™s casket laws

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Ponca City woman who sells caskets on the Internet has lost an effort to overturn a state law prohibiting her from selling the caskets in Oklahoma.<br/><br/>The U-S Supreme Court today

Monday, March 21st 2005, 11:18 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Ponca City woman who sells caskets on the Internet has lost an effort to overturn a state law prohibiting her from selling the caskets in Oklahoma.

The U-S Supreme Court today refused to consider Kim Powers' appeal of a ruling upholding a state law that says only licensed funeral directors can sell caskets.

The decision upholds a Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals decision which says it isn't a judge's role to second-guess economic restrictions passed by state legislatures. The ruling also creates a conflict with the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals which said a similar law regarding casket sales in Tennessee is unconstitutional.

Oklahoma is one of nine state's that allow only licensed funeral directors to sell caskets. State officials say the law protects grieving families from fraud.