Political resistance to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has grown in recent years, yet little empirical research has examined this subject. Drawing on Fukuyama's theory of political order and decay, we provide a case study of the politics surrounding the CCSS in Oklahoma, one of three states to have fully repealed the CCSS after initially adopting it. We suggest that Oklahoma's about-face on the CCSS was not merely the result of partisan politicking. It was also symptomatic of a broader pattern of institutional decay whereby existing institutions proved unable to adapt to changing environmental conditions. A key component of this decay was a debate about the rightful sources and claimants of legitimate authority over Oklahoma's curriculum policy.