US EditionDivided Supreme Court rules Oklahoma can't launch a taxpayer-funded religious charter school
- In 2024, the Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld a decision blocking the Catholic Church's plan to establish a virtual school named St. Isidore of Seville, ruling that it conflicted with constitutional and state legal provisions.
- The ruling followed the June 2023 state board approval and an Attorney General lawsuit citing Establishment Clause concerns and state interest in separation.
- The case involved debates over religious charter schools, school choice advocacy, and the Supreme Court's 4-4 deadlock that prevented a national precedent.
- The Supreme Court vote split evenly 4-4, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett absent and potentially decisive, leaving the Oklahoma ruling intact without a written opinion.
- The outcome blocks Oklahoma from establishing the nation's first taxpayer-funded religious public charter school and leaves the legal question unresolved nationally.
161 Articles
161 Articles
Supreme Court blocks funds for religious charter school
A split decision by the U.S. Supreme Court halted plans for what would have been the nation’s first religious charter school. In a 4-4 deadlock announced Thursday, May 22, due to a recusal, the justices were evenly divided over whether Oklahoma’s St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School could move forward. The debate has drawn sharp lines. Supporters argue that religious groups should have the same opportunity as others to run charter schoo…
SCOTUS Upholds Oklahoma Court Ruling on Religious Charter Schools
On May 22, 2025, an evenly split Supreme Court, 4-4, delivered a significant victory to advocates for the separation of church and state. The court upheld an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling against the state funding a religious charter school. The lower court determined that the creation of St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts appeared to side with the c…
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